A Werewolf in Nerima
by USA Tiger
Summary: A friend of Ranma's comes to Nerima the only thing is, she's a were-wolf. The she seems to be in town for a very important reason that has to do with Ranma.
1. Chapter 1 rewrite

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
Author's Notes: Okay everybody, here it is, the newly revised and expanded version of my story...  
  
  
**********  
  
". . ."Japanese  
. . .Chinese  
[. . .]Signs and such  
^. . .^Thoughts  
*. . .*Stressed words  
CAPSYelling, or loud noises  
{{. . .}}Sound effects  
//. . .//Author's Comments  
(1, 2...)Footnotes  
  
// For the purposes of this fanfic the Lycanthropes, i.e. were-*wolves*, were-*cats*, etc. have been around for 6 million years in this world. Cause if Anne Rice can have a pair of vamps that old then Lycanthropes can be as well. I made up the reason why Lycanthropes are affected by silver and wolf's-bane and I've combined something I've read in a book about werewolves and stuff from my own imagination for the cursed kind of Lycanthropes. Even if you don't agree with me, *DON'T* bitch to me about it.//  
  
  
Timeline: starts at some point before Nodoka finds out *Ranko* and Ranma are one and the same, but I'm not sure where...  
  
**********  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
It was a calm, peaceful morning in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, Japan. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the weather service had predicted clear skies and temperatures in the upper-seventies for a high. Yes, it looked as if it was going to be a perfect day. Which, to an Outsider, would have seemed at odds with the unusually tense and hushed expectancy of the Nerima residents. It almost seemed as if time had been turned back to the end of the Second World War, to shortly after the Americans had begun their bombing runs of Japan, and the Nerima residents knew that an attack was coming... they just didn't know precisely when the attack would begin. And, until the first bombs began to explode, they didn't know which way to run.  
  
Meanwhile, at the Tendo Dojo, which just happened to be located in the Nerima Ward, the residents were blithely unaware of the nervous attention their home was receiving from their neighbors... those that hadn't already moved *far* away, that is. In any case, in the modest garden beside the house, and often hovering over the large koi pond within said garden, Genma and Ranma Saotome, father and son respectively, were engaged in their usual morning sparring match. At least, that was what they called it, if asked. In actuality, Genma was once again attempting to beat his offspring into submission and, as had become far too common as of late, he was failing, miserably.  
  
Within the residence itself, Soun Tendo sat at the low table in the main room, reading his morning paper and only occasionally glancing out through the open doors leading to the garden whenever one of the two combatants yelled something that might be of interest to him. Nearby stood Soun's middle daughter, Nabiki, seemingly only half-awake, with her normally immaculate hair a mess, and still dressed in her pajamas. She'd paused momentarily on her epic morning trek to the furo to admire the physical form of Ranma who, by the way, was wearing nothing more than his boxer-briefs and a muscle-t, which granted Nabiki quite a bit to look at, as Genma hadn't seen any need in allowing his son the time to don an athletic supporter before tossing him out of the house and attacking. Needless to say, Nabiki was watching his every move with rapt attention. Well, as much attention as she could manage before her bath and her usual cup of strong hot coffee, at any rate.  
  
In the kitchen, Soun's eldest daughter, Kasumi, was humming along with the tune playing on the radio, gliding gracefully about the room, as she went about the task of preparing breakfast for her family and their houseguests, although she truly considered Ranma to be more of a family member than a houseguest. The less she thought about his father, the easier it was for her to maintain her optimistic and pleasant outlook on life. And finally, there was Soun's youngest daughter, Akane, who was just returning from her usual morning jog. And having long since grown bored with the Saotome's customary morning free-for-all and yelling match, she didn't even glance in their direction as she rushed into the house and sped back out the side on her way to the dojo to finish her own morning training, by destroying yet another pile of helpless and inoffensive building materials.  
  
There was, actually, one other... person... in residence at the Tendo Dojo, but he was presently out and about somewhere, and with the *very* remotely possible exception of Kasumi, not one of the other residents would have cared if that particular individual was ever seen again... by anyone! So, let's not borrow trouble where it's not needed and worry about *him*, if and when he makes an appearance, shall we?  
  
All in all, it was a rather uneventful and relatively quiet morning at the Tendo Dojo which, of course, was why the remainder of Nerima was on High Alert! The longer that nothing out-of-the-ordinary occurred, as defined by the rest of the world and not the residents of the Tendo Dojo, the greater the property damage and risk of personal injury tended to be.  
  
"Breakfast!" Kasumi eventually called out to everyone, causing Ranma to jerk about, halting his leap to attack his father and thereby leaving Genma, who had already leapt into the air, suspended above the koi pond without anything to bounce off of. Of course Gravity, already rather irritated at how often the Saotomes tended to ignore its laws decided that this was the perfect opportunity to remind Genma of their existence, by sending him plummeting into the very cold water of the koi pond.  
  
{{SPLASH}}  
  
"Better luck next time, Pop!" Ranma laughed, having already jumped clear of the resulting spray of cold water, as a shivering panda broke the surface of the pond. Rushing inside, he was just about to sit down at the table and dig into another of Kasumi's excellent meals, when Nabiki drew his attention by clearing her throat loudly.  
  
"As much as I enjoy the view Ranma," Nabiki stated with a definite appraising look, and a bit of a leer, as she took her place at the table, "don't you think you should get cleaned up and dressed before joining the rest of us?"  
  
"Idiot!" Akane growled, about to take her own place at the table, but turning instead to head toward the stairs, and calling back to him over her shoulder. "Since I'm already up, I'll get you some clean clothes, but don't expect any of us wait on you before starting to eat!"  
  
"Surely, you want to set a good example for your son, Mr. Saotome?" Nabiki said pointedly, as a still very wet Genma-panda had been about to sit down.  
  
With a "Growf" and a sigh, father and son headed off to the bathing room.  
  
*****  
  
Ranma had been trying to ignore it, and had been wracking his brain in an attempt to discover what he might have done wrong this morning. And yet, try as he might, he couldn't think of any reason for Akane to be glaring at him so intensely ever since he'd returned from the furo. Deciding that a full stomach would slow his reaction time, Ranma sighed and set down his empty bowl, without asking for a fourth helping of rice.  
  
"What did I do this time?" he asked in a resigned tone.  
  
"Who is she, you pervert?" Akane snarled, her voice fairly laced with pure venom.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
With a growl Akane slammed her hand down flat onto the table, only to lift her hand back up and reveal the photograph of a rather attractive young woman, seemingly in her late-teens.   
  
"Well?" Akane snarled, fists clenched and teeth beginning to grind audibly.  
  
"Another girlfriend, Ranma?" Nabiki asked curiously, leaning forward for a better look at the photo, while attempting to remain out of the range of her father's waterworks as he began to wail about the families never joining and demanding to know why Ranma was cheating on his baby girl. "Hmm, very attractive, too!"  
  
"Boy, how could even think of cheating on Tendo's daughter?" Genma bellowed, about to jump up and demand that Ranma marry Akane immediately in order to protect the family honor, when Ranma snatched up the photo and showed it to him. To Kasumi and Nabiki's surprise, Genma calmed instantly. "Oh, it's just her!"  
  
Ranma turned back to face Akane, now showing a glare of his own.  
  
"What gave you the right to go through my stuff, Akane?" Ranma growled at her, thankful that she had apparently not discovered his stash of letters. "And don't even think of saying you found it while getting me some clothes! This photo was in my pack, not the dresser!"  
  
"Who is that floozy, you jerk?" Akane growled back, completely ignoring his question. "And don't you tell me what I can and can't do in my own home!"  
  
"It's none of your business who she is, you Un-cute Tomboy! And my personal belongings--"  
  
"RANMA YOU JERK!" Akane screamed in self-righteous outrage, her massive mallet already in motion.  
  
{{WHAM}}  
  
"Hmm, look's as if you're going to break your old record, Akane!" Nabiki noted, calmly judging Ranma's current rate of ascent, present altitude and direction of travel. "He's actually going to be on time at school for once, it seems! That is, of course, if you didn't actually kill him this time!"  
  
"Why should I care what happens to that baka?" Akane snarled.  
  
^Because if you ever do kill him, little sister, there's no way I could save you from going to prison for murder! Not with your reputation of abusing him!^ Nabiki thought, as she gathered her things and headed out the door to school. She was shortly followed by a still boiling tomboy.  
  
You can breathe a little easier now people of Nerima, the pressure valve has vented a bit, so the damages should be kept to a minimum this day... but keep your fingers crossed, just in case! And perhaps an offering or two at some nearby shrine wouldn't hurt, either!  
  
*****  
  
It was nearing noon when a gaijin girl, seemingly in her late-teens, was noticed making her way into the residential section of Nerima. A bit taller than the average Japanese female, at around five-foot-seven or -eight, she was otherwise unremarkable physically, possessing a rather slender, yet fit, musculature, with a modest bust and slender hips. Her hair, a rich dark-brown, was pulled back into a low-set ponytail that extended to just between her shoulder-blades. And her complexion was clear, but fairly light, as if she didn't spend a great deal of time under the sun. All in all, there wasn't really anything about her physically that would draw the eye of others, unless you considered the mirrored sunglasses which concealed her eyes.  
  
Her choice of clothing on the other hand was a bit more unusual for the area, and it was this that attracted the attention of passers-by...  
  
She was dressed entirely in black, which made her already light complexion seem even paler in comparison. First, there was the cut-off, sleeveless, black t-shirt with the words [Oh crap, you're going to try and cheer me up now, aren't you?] written in red across the chest, which left her mid-riff bare and exposing the fact that she wore a fish-net undershirt beneath. Next were her loose-fitting trousers, made of black denim, and with an unusual number of seemingly pointless zippers and straps. And finally, there were the black, heavy, combat boots, which didn't really look as if they'd be all that comfortable to those who'd never worn such. Overall, if she'd presently been in let's say New York, in the Americas, she wouldn't have drawn any attention at all, being considered just another Goth, but... she wasn't in America, so her attire did draw the eye of the locals.  
  
Eventually, the girl seemed to reach her destination, pausing to read the sign adorning the wall beside the main gate, [Tendo's Martial Arts - School of Indiscriminate Grappling], before pushing open the gate and proceeding inside. Stepping up to the front door of the residence contained within the outer surrounding wall, she knocked loudly and then patiently waited. After only a fairly brief few moments, the door opened in response to her knock and she was greeted by yet another girl of about the same height and age as herself.  
  
"Welcome to the Tendo Dojo," the new girl said in a friendly manner, bowing politely. "I'm Kasumi Tendo. May I help you?"  
  
"Nice to meet you, Kasumi." the girl responded, bowing in turn. "Are either Ranma, or Genma, Saotome here?"  
  
"Ranma is attending school at the moment, but Mr. Saotome is here. Do you wish to see him?" Kasumi asked, a little startled at the girl's informality.  
  
"Yes, I would."  
  
"May I ask your name please?" Kasumi asked, stepping back and motioning for the girl to enter.  
  
"Sati Li." the girl responded, stepping through the doorway, and then followed Kasumi further into the house.  
  
*****  
  
Genma and Soun were once again in the midst of one of their seemingly unending games of go when Kasumi and Sati entered the main room of the house.  
  
"Mr. Saotome, someone is here to see you. A Miss Sati Li." Kasumi stated, before heading back to her kitchen to prepare some tea for their guest.  
  
"Hello, Genma," Sati said, slipping off her sunglasses to reveal highly unusual amber-colored eyes.  
  
Soun noted his old friend stiffen and begin to sweat, a normal reaction for Genma when his past had caught up with him. ^Not another one, old friend!^ Soun thought to himself, remembering that this had been the girl in the photograph from earlier that morning. If Ranma had cared enough for this girl to keep a photo of her, the agreement to unite the families could be in serious jeopardy.  
  
"H-h-hello, Sati. Um... uhhh... H-how are you?" Genma stuttered in fear. It was one thing to look at a photograph of the girl, when he'd been fairly certain of never seeing this particular individual ever again. It was quite another when she was only standing a few feet away and phantom pains of past injuries dealt out to him by her were once again being felt. Not even his wife's katana frightened him as much as this seeming girl did. After all, he could outrun the katana, but Sati... No. Running wasn't an option in her case, as she'd just overtake him.  
  
"I've been doing all right," Sati said, placing her sunglasses into a pocket and raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"  
  
"Intro-... Oh, uh, S-Soun... This is... Sati Li," Genma stated, continuing to stammer and fidget nervously, as Sati bowed to Soun. "Sati, meet my old friend, Soun Tendo."  
  
"Hello. I'm honored to meet you," Sati said standing straight again. "And before you ask, no, I'm not another fiancee of Ranma's." She noted his questioning expression and continued, "I've known Genma for about seven years now; I know what he's like. That, and the letters I get from Ranma have kept me up to date on Genma's habit of engaging the poor boy left and right."  
  
Releasing a frustrated sigh, Soun motioned for Sati to sit. His building anger at the arrival of yet another supposed fiancee for Ranma, due to Genma's stupidity, laziness, and lack of honor, dissipated, but... he and his *old friend* were definitely going to have a long talk, later. From Genma's reaction to her, Soun was fairly certain that he wasn't going to like the latest trouble Genma had brought to his home... even if she wasn't a new fiancee.  
  
"Kasumi, bring some..." Soun began to call out, but trailed off as Kasumi entered the room with a fresh pot of tea and cups on a tray. Turning back to Sati, he decided to see what he could learn from the girl, before he had his talk with Genma. "So, where did you meet Saotome and his son?"  
  
"Uhh... This is the person who snapped Ranma out of the Neko-ken, that first time," Genma said before Sati could respond, as she accepted a cup of tea from Kasumi who returned to her kitchen. He ignored Soun's raised eyebrow at his statement, as he *really* didn't want to discuss that period of his past again.  
  
"I don't mean to seem rude, but I plan to be in the Nerima area for a while and will need a place to stay. I was hoping that I might be able to stay here, if you have no objections," Sati said, and pulled out her wallet, opening it slightly to display that it was quite well stocked with a substantial amount of cash. "Of course, I can pay a reasonable amount for room and board."  
  
"Of course, of course. I'll have Kasumi prepare you a room," Soun said, and called out for his eldest daughter again, who exited the kitchen at his summons. "Kasumi, Miss Li will be staying with us for a time. Can you be a dear and prepare a room for her?"  
  
"But Father, we haven't any rooms available, unless you want her to stay in the storage room beneath the stairs?" Kasumi said, a bit distressed, turning to look at Sati. "Would you be opposed to sharing a room with one of the others? Or myself?"  
  
"Let's see this storage room first! I don't want to impose on anyone, if it can be avoided," Sati said, getting to her feet and motioning for Kasumi to lead the way.  
  
As it turned out, the storage room beneath the stairs was just large enough for a futon and a bit of moving about room, and the built-in shelves could double as a make-shift dresser. There was even a small window looking out onto the yard beside the attached dojo. Sati felt that it would do for her stay and helped Kasumi carry the few items stored inside out to the dojo, but Kasumi politely refused any further aide in cleaning the room, so Sati returned to the main room of the house to await the arrival of Ranma.  
  
"So, Genma," Sati began, making herself comfortable at the low table once more, refreshing her cup of tea from the pot, and interrupting Soun and Genma's game of go. "Have you told Soun there about me?"  
  
"Um, only that you traveled with the boy and me for a time," Genma nervously said. "And that you'd helped the boy snap out of the Neko-ken, of course!"  
  
"Yes," Soun agreed, but gave Genma a dubious look, as he knew for a fact that Genma wouldn't have allowed *any* female to travel with his son or himself if he'd had any choice in the matter. "However, you'd said that it had been an *old* woman who'd done that. Miss Li can't be much older than Kasumi, if that, and would have been but a child when she traveled with you and your son."  
  
"Actually, I'm far older than I look, and please, just call me Sati, I detest honorifics," Sati said with a small grin, before adopting a serious expression. "In truth, I'm essentially immortal. Both Genma and Ranma are already aware of what I am, but I feel that you, also, have a right and... need to know. I, Soun Tendo, am a Werewolf!"  
  
"What?" Soun asked in disbelieving shock.  
  
"Oh, come on! Genma here turns into a panda from what Ranma said in his letters, and you're having a hard time believing that I'm a Werewolf?" Sati snickered. "Here, I'll show you!"  
  
Soun's mouth fell open and his eyes shot wide as Sati closed her amber eyes and... shifted! Sati's face quickly elongated into a short muzzle, with a black nose, and dense, dark-gray, fur suddenly sprouted all over her body, while her ears seemed to move higher upon her head, becoming a bit larger and more triangular in shape. She also appeared to become a bit larger, more muscular, and a thick, bushy tail could be seen resting on the floor behind her. Oddly enough, the hair atop her head remained the same dark-brown, rather than turning gray to match the rest of her.  
  
"I think he's in shock, Genma," Sati stated, ironically, when she opened her amber eyes to note Soun's slack-jawed, wide-eyed gaze upon her.  
  
"He'll be fine in a few minutes," Genma sighed, and sure enough, a minute or two later Soun shook himself out of his daze.  
  
"You're not going to bite any of us and turn us into werewolves too, are you?" Soun asked warily, eliciting a burst of laughter from Sati.  
  
"I'm not that kind of werewolf, Soun!" Sati said, still chuckling, and shifted back to her full-human form. "My *bite* won't turn anyone into another werewolf, as I am a *true* Lycanthrope. I was born as I am; not turned into one by being bitten! In any case, could you do me a favor and keep this to yourself? I'd prefer it if the number of people knowing about what I am was kept to a minimum, for obvious reasons."  
  
"Will you inform my daughters, as to your true... nature?" Soun asked.  
  
"I don't have a problem with it, but I'd like to be the one to show them, if that's okay?"  
  
"Provided that you do so as soon as possible, I am agreeable to your request," Soun said and returned his attention to the go board. Noting that Genma still seemed a bit preoccupied with watching Sati, Soun took the opportunity to rearrange the board to his advantage before coughing softly and gaining Genma's attention. "I believe it was your move, Saotome!"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure, I was just about... What?!?" Genma sputtered, looking frantically at the new arrangement of the pieces.  
  
*****  
  
"I didn't do nothin'! Nabiki, you tell her! You were there, too!" Ranma loudly stated as he entered the Tendo home, and thereby announcing that the school day had ended and that he, along with the two younger Tendo sisters, had returned.  
  
"Sorry, Ranma, but I was talking with one of my associates and wasn't paying attention!" Nabiki stated calmly, as she followed him and Akane into the house. "What was it again that you supposedly did?"  
  
"He was being his usual perverted self and hitting on another girl, that's what was he was doing!" Akane growled.  
  
"I was givin' her directions, for cryin' out loud!" Ranma responded. "She wanted to know how to get to Ucchan's after school, and I was tellin' her how to get there! Sheesh! I can't even talk to somebody without you jumpin' to some whacked-out conclusion where I'm bein' some kind of pervert!"  
  
"That's because you *are* a pervert!" Akane growled as they stepped into the main room.  
  
"Hello, Cub!"  
  
"Hiya, Auntie!" Ranma responded without looking, but subconsciously recognizing the voice that had greeted him. "And I am *not* a... Huh?" Ranma stopped his rebuttal of Akane's claims in mid-sentence as his brain caught up with what he'd just heard. Turning in the direction from which the voice had come, he was overjoyed to see Sati sitting at the table.  
  
"AUNTIE!" Ranma shouted, and jumping over to her, proceeded to give her an enthusiastic hug, much to the growing ire of Akane and the stunned shock of Nabiki.  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 1 


	2. Chapter 2 rewrite

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
"AUNTIE!" Ranma shouted, and jumping over to her, proceeded to give her an enthusiastic hug, much to the growing ire of Akane and the stunned shock of Nabiki.  
  
The Tendos could only stare in stunned shock. Ranma Saotome, supposed man amongst men, a socially inept, gender-challenged, and overly-macho all-around insensitive jerk, who couldn't express his more tender emotions if his life depended on it, was *hugging* a girl, tightly, and grinning from ear to ear. Ranma hadn't even shown this much genuine affection to his own mother... not that he was actually able to, considering he had to hide himself behind his curse whenever she appeared.  
  
"D-did you just... *hug* her?... Voluntarily?" Nabiki asked, being the first to get over her initial shock.  
  
"It's the *hussy* from that picture!" Akane snarled, with all of the subtlety of a herd of stampeding bull elephants, pointing her finger accusingly at Sati.  
  
"What did you call me?" Sati growled softly, losing the smile she'd been wearing at Ranma's greeting, and turning to glare, narrow-eyed, at Akane.  
  
Nabiki felt a shiver run up her spine, as she detected an almost bestial undertone to Sati's question. Human vocal chords shouldn't be capable of producing such menacing tones, but... Sati had done so. Naturally, Akane missed it entirely.  
  
"A Hussy! Just like all the other girls that *pervert* lets hang all over him!" Akane stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So let me guess, you're another one of the Pervert's fiancees, right?"  
  
"Actually, she's not a fiancee of Ranma's, Akane," Kasumi replied as she entered the room. "However, she has asked to stay with us for a time, and will be staying in the room beneath the stairs!"  
  
"We can't afford another houseguest, Kasumi!" Nabiki said in protest, being the only one in the house fully aware of just how fragile their financial situation truly was.  
  
"You must be Nabiki," Sati stated. "Don't worry about the bills increasing, I can pay my own way, and even help out around here, if needed!"  
  
"I don't trust her!" Akane snapped, never letting up on her glare. "And I don't want her staying in this house!"  
  
"And you must be Akane," Sati said, returning her gaze to the scowling tomboy and smirking slightly. "Ranma's frequently mentioned you in his letters, but... while I'll agree with him that you're kind of cute, that extreme possessive streak, jealousy, and violent temper is a definite turn-off!"  
  
"I am *not* possessive, I am *not* jealous of that perverted jerk, and there's nothing wrong with MY TEMPER!" Akane snarled, fairly screaming the final words, his face flushed with rage proving her statements a lie.  
  
Nabiki simply arched an eyebrow at Akane's outburst, while Kasumi uncharacteristically rolled her eyes heavenward as if seeking divine aide.  
  
"I thought you said she was a martial artist and Soun's heir?" Sati asked, looking at Ranma. "I can see that she has some potential, but her lack of control and violent temper makes her nothing more than a Brawler, not a Martial Artist!"  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?" Akane screeched indignantly. "I'll have you know that I'm the best martial artist in Nerima, and I can take you on anytime!"  
  
It was Sati's turn to arch an eyebrow, before slowly getting to her feet and bowing, mockingly, a smirk on her face. "Shall we test that theory in the dojo, Cub? I'll even give you some time to change into more suitable clothing, if you like!"  
  
"Dojo! Ten-minutes! If you're not *afraid*, that is!" Akane snarled, before storming up to her room to change into her gi, while everyone else made their way out to the dojo.  
  
*****  
  
"Alright Saotome, what's going on?" Nabiki asked, pulling Ranma aside once they were all in the dojo and waiting on Akane. "I know for a fact, that you don't have an *aunt*, on either side of your family! So who is she, what's she doing here, and how badly is Akane going to get her ass handed to her?"  
  
"Her name's Sati Li," Ranma replied, never taking his eyes off of Sati as she did some stretching exercises. "We're not related by blood, but... she took care of me after the... neko-ken training and... I just started calling her that and it stuck. I don't know why she's here, but I'm glad she is! And... I've never beaten her in a sparring match... yet! She won't hurt Akane, much! Probably just bruise her up a bit, as some kind of object lesson!"  
  
Nabiki just stared at Ranma, as Akane, now dressed in her gi, stormed into the dojo. ^He willingly admitted that that girl could beat *him*! Mr. Macho-Man himself, Mr. Never-admit-defeat, Mr. Do-or-die, Mr. Ranma Saotome-doesn't-lose, just admitted that a *girl* was better than him! And Akane doesn't have a clue as to just how deeply she's stepped into it.^  
  
"After I've won our fight," Akane growled, moving to take up a position opposite Sati in the center of the dojo, "you'll leave Nerima and forget all about Ranma!"  
  
"My, oh my! Confident, aren't ya, Cub!" Sati chuckled, assuming a relaxed position with her hands upon her hips. "However, you seem to be making a false assumption! This is a sparring match, intended for you to show your skills as a martial artist... not a challenge match, or duel! And it has nothing to do with Ranma! This is about your credibility as a martial artist, and your claim of being the best!"  
  
"Then I challenge you!" Akane barked.  
  
"Challenge refused!" Sati calmly responded. "I'm not a practitioner of *any* style that stupidly requires that *all* challenges, no matter how idiotic, be accepted! You claimed to be a martial artist, and to be the best in Nerima, we're here for you to prove it! No more, no less! Now, Cub... put up, or shut up! Spar with me, or go back into the house! Your choice!"  
  
"Fine, then!" Akane snarled, assuming her standard offensive stance. "And stop calling me *Cub*! Ready?"  
  
"Whenever you are... Cub!" Sati replied with a grin.  
  
Akane let go with an inarticulate snarl and swung at Sati's grinning face, who merely moved aside, grabbed Akane's now overextended arm, and flipped her over on to her back. Akane landed on the floor hard, having the air forced from her lungs, and it took her a few moments for her to recover.  
  
"I wasn't ready!" Akane growled when she finally rose back onto her feet.  
  
"You attacked first, y'know! Wanna try again?" Sati asked, raising an eyebrow enquiringly.  
  
For the first time, Akane noticed the unusual color of Sati's eyes, and felt a slight shiver of unease pass through her body from looking into them. She'd seen eyes that color before, the color of a pale moon, but that had been on a school trip to the Tokyo Zoo, and the eyes had belonged to a wolf that had stared at her, as if *she* were it's next meal. Shaking away the sense of unease, Akane resumed her ready stance, and they resumed sparring, but with Akane being a bit more cautious.  
  
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Nabiki was trying to get more information out of Ranma.  
  
"What's with the *Cub* bit, Saotome?" Nabiki asked, curious. "And are you certain your *Auntie*, won't seriously injure Akane?"  
  
Ranma turned to look at Nabiki for a moment, his gaze seeming to weigh her somehow, before turning back to watch the sparring match. "If Auntie wants you to know about it, you'll find out what she means by *cub*, Nabiki. It's not my place to say. And as for injuring Akane... If Akane's seriously injured, it'll be her own doing! All Auntie's doing is redirecting Akane's own attacks, Auntie has yet to even attempt a single attack!"  
  
Nabiki, herself, had noted the same thing, recognizing most of Sati's techniques as being either simple judo, or aikido, throws and blocks. Techniques which Akane *should* have recognized and adapted for long ago. Even so, it was several more minutes of wasted punches and kicks, not to mention a lot of wasted energy, before Akane seemed to *finally* catch on and back off, trading her offensive stance for a defensive one.  
  
"My turn, huh?" Sati asked, smirking. "Your offense isn't all that bad, really, if you're up against the usual run-of-the-mill martial artists. But, you'll need to increase your skill, speed, *control*, and stamina, if you want to compete in the major leagues, Cub!"  
  
"Are you all talk," Akane growled, breathing heavily from the effort she'd already put into their match, "or are you actually capable of doing more than dodging and running away?"  
  
"Object lesson, Cub," Sati said, her voice losing all trace of humor. "Never ask a question, if you're not prepared to learn the answer! I hope you're ready?"  
  
"Bring it on, you *hussy*!"  
  
Sati blurred forward, and the sound of flesh striking flesh was heard in the dojo, as she pounded on Akane. And try as she might, Akane just couldn't seem to block or dodge even one of Sati's attacks. Finally, in a move of desperation, Akane lunged forward at her top speed in an obvious attempt to grapple with her, but Sati just... stepped aside, and Akane ran headlong into the dojo wall.  
  
{{THWACK}}  
  
For just a moment, Akane remained absolutely motionless against the wall, before slowly falling backward like a felled tree to collapse onto the floor with a loud groan.  
  
"I believe I won our little match!" Sati stated as she motioned the concerned Kasumi over. Then she turned to face Ranma. "What about it, Cub? Care to spar with this *old* woman?"  
  
"I've improved a lot, since we last sparred, Auntie!" Ranma said, grinning broadly as he moved out to the center of the dojo.  
  
"Less talk, more action, Cub!" Sati responded, returning his smile and taking an obviously more serious stance than the one she'd taken with Akane.  
  
"She cheated!" Akane was heard saying, as Kasumi helped her over to sit near Soun and Genma. No one chose to respond to her comment, however, as they waited to see how Ranma fared against Sati.  
  
For several long seconds neither moved, and then, at some unspoken command, Sati and Ranma leapt at each other becoming blurs of motion. Ranma a red blur, because of his red blouse, and Sati a black one, due to her black clothing. Maybe Soun and Genma could see what was happening, but for the others the match was nothing but the two blurs bouncing about the inside of the dojo and the sounds of flesh meeting flesh, with only a clear glance of either combatant when they paused long enough to change direction.  
  
"What the..." Nabiki gasped, as she caught a glimpse of Sati when she rebounded off of the far wall, but... Sati had looked... "No way!"  
  
"What? What is it?" Akane asked.  
  
Nabiki didn't answer, just continued to concentrate her attention on the blurred form of Sati, as a new sound was heard... metal on metal, in addition to flesh on flesh. Then just as suddenly as they'd started, both Ranma and Sati stopped, only...  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped, wide-eyed.  
  
"That... is an understatement, Sis!" Nabiki dryly.  
  
"It's a demon!" Akane yelped, jumping to her feet.  
  
"No... *that*, Akane, is a Werewolf!" Nabiki corrected.  
  
Meanwhile, near the center of the dojo, Ranma was struggling to hold back the katana trapped between the palms of his hands as Sati, now in her hybrid-form, attempted to press forward her attack. Ranma managed to twist to the side, but was forced to release his entrapment of Sati's blade in doing so, and this time the girls saw him block the return blow upon the felt bracer of his right arm. To their surprise, sparks appeared at the contact.  
  
^So, not so dumb after all, eh Saotome?^ Nabiki thought, realizing that the bracers Ranma habitually wore, were actually pieces of felt-covered chain-mail.  
  
"Not bad, Cub! Not bad, at all!" Sati said, causing her katana to simply vanish into thin air. "But I hope that's not all you've got to show me?"  
  
"Oh, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve, Auntie!" Ranma chuckled, cupping his hands down near his side and a glowing blue ball of chi suddenly appeared, which he rapidly hurled at her with a cry of, "MOKO TAKABISHA!"  
  
"MOON CLAW SLASH!" Sati cried in return, slashing her right hand before her and releasing what appeared to be a silvery-white crescent-shaped chi-blast of her own, which sliced through Ranma's, diverting it to the sides and away from her, before slamming into Ranma's chest and sending him to crash against the dojo wall, stunned. You could have heard a pin drop, as everyone stared in shock. "You *have* improved, Cub, if you've learned to throw chi-blasts around. But, you're still not up to my level... yet!"  
  
*****  
  
Later, after everyone had been assured that Sati wasn't a demon intent on consuming their souls, as Akane vehemently maintained, and after Ranma and Akane had bathed, both having worked up a sweat during their matches with Sati, they all sat down to enjoy a fairly quiet dinner and to talk. Things were a little awkward though, as the Tendos were still coming to terms with their newest houseguest's unusual nature.  
  
"How long have you been a werewolf?" Nabiki asked, struggling to maintain her usual mask of casual indifference.  
  
"All my life," Sati replied, amused at the girl's obvious attempts to hide her intense curiosity.  
  
"You were born like that? I thought that you had to be bitten by another werewolf in order to become one?" Nabiki asked, wondering what other supposed *beliefs* concerning such creatures were wrong.  
  
"Only the *cursed* kind. My kind has to be passed through the genes." Sati explained. "If you'd like, I can explain it in more detail later, but I see no reason to bore the others at the moment."  
  
"Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that," Nabiki agreed, then thought of her next question. "How did you meet the Saotomes?"  
  
"I met Ranma first, when he climbed into my lap, acting like a cat. *Someone* had just put him through the Neko-ken training!" Sati stated, not needing to indicate just who that *someone* happened to be. Still, the girls all blinked as they made another connection to the tale they'd been told of the Neko-ken training.  
  
"Mr. Saotome told us that it was an *old woman* that snapped Ranma out of the Neko-ken the first time!" Akane said, questioningly.  
  
Sati just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Technically, I *am* an old woman!"  
  
"So how old are you?" Akane asked, bluntly.  
  
"Oh, around two-million or so, I'd guess," Sati replied, as she seemed to give the question a little thought.  
  
"Two-million?!?" Nabiki choked out, having nearly inhaled a lungful of her tea when Sati had responded to Akane's question.  
  
"Somewhere around there," Sati agreed. "After a time, you tend not to keep track anymore, as it can get a little depressing if you dwell on it!"  
  
"Bwee!"  
  
"P-chan!" Akane cried out, as she leaped over the table to scoop up the little black piglet that had appeared on the porch and held him tightly to her bosom.  
  
For once, Ranma was in too good of a mood to say anything insulting and simply groaned, rolling his eyes, as Akane fussed over her wayward pet. Sati, having been informed about the truth concerning the little porker through Ranma's letters, just softly chuckled to herself over the situation.  
  
"SWEETO!"  
  
The entire household went dead-silent at that terrifying cry, and began to go pale when they located the source of it nestled happily within Sati's bosom. And they began to edge away from the pair as Sati shifted back to her hybrid-form, her large triangular ears laying back flush against her skull and her lips pulling up, rising in a grimacing snarl, to expose a large assortment of very impressive teeth, followed by a rumbling growl.  
  
"Happosai! If you don't let go, this instant... you *will* be in a world of pain!" Sati growled menacingly, her amber eyes flashing.  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 2 


	3. Chapter 3 rewrite

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
"Happosai! If you don't let go, this instant... you *will* be in a world of pain!" Sati growled menacingly, her amber eyes flashing.  
  
Happosai froze in the middle of rubbing his wrinkled face from side to side in Sati's bosom at the rumbling, inhuman, growl. Ever so slowly he tilted his head back, and found himself nose to nose with a pissed werewolf.  
  
"...oh shit..." he squeaked, before leaping away to the other side of the room from her. "Heh-heh, um... Sati, what a... p-pleasant surprise to find you here, of all places! So... uh, what brings you here, if I might ask?"  
  
Everyone in the room, with the exception of Sati, were surprised to note that Happosai had begun to sweat, heavily, and was obviously terrified of the werewolf. Not even Pantyhose Taro's monster-form had unnerved the old letch this badly.  
  
"Hello, Happi. I see no one's killed you... yet!" Sati said smoothly, her ears rising from their flattened positions atop her skull, but still exposing an impressive amount of teeth. "As for why I'm here... why, I just came to visit Ranma. Someone I consider to be like another son to me. I *do* hope you've been treating him well! Or should I say *her*, considering Ranma's curse?"  
  
Happosai visibly paled at this revelation and his eyes began darting about the room, obviously in search of a quick escape route, if it should prove to be needed.  
  
"Valamar will be *so* pleased to see you again too, as she's been hoping to repay the kindness and courtesy you showed towards her when last the two of you met!" Sati said, leaving no doubt that she was being ironic in her statements. "Why, she's spent over a century on putting together just the *right* spell to express her sentiments of gratitude towards you!"  
  
"Hahaha... Well, uh," Happosai began, *very* nervously, while edging towards the exit, "I'd love to stay and get reacquainted with her, but something's come up, rather suddenly, and I've... uh... I have to leave the country for a while! No telling when I'd be able to get back, so, uh, just give her my best wishes and all that, okay? Gotta go, bye!"  
  
Everyone watched silently, as Happosai disappeared from view, moving faster than any of them had ever seen him move before.  
  
"I don't think I've ever seen the ol' freak that scared of anything before," Ranma said after a bit, turning back to face Sati. "What'd he do to Valamar?"  
  
"I've got a better question," Nabiki spoke up. "Who's Valamar, and is she coming here? Do we even want to meet her, if she can scare the old pervert *that* badly?"  
  
"Valamar is my daughter, and Happosai... well, I don't really know what happened between them, but Val's been working on a *special* magical spell, just for him, for quite some time," Sati stated, while getting up from the table. "Which is rather odd, as she doesn't normally hold grudges like that! In any case, I think I'll put my gear away now and start getting ready for bed. Rest well, everyone."  
  
*****  
  
Sati looked about the rather small room, really just a large closet beneath the stairway, and quickly noted that Kasumi had done more than just clean it up. The original bare bulb on the ceiling now had a paper shade surrounding it, draperies bordered the small window, and a small vase of flowers adorned one of the shelves along the wall. And, of course, a comfortable looking futon, pillow, and down comforter completed the set up. Not a bad place to stay for awhile, and she'd definitely had worse living conditions in her long life.  
  
Getting started, Sati began pulling her things out of the subspace pocket where she'd stored them and began filling up the shelves. She decided to fold some of her clothing that would normally be hung, which were colored in various shades of black, red, or silver, and place them into the shelving, rather than take up more of the limited space by hanging them from the rod positioned along the outside wall. Then came the little knick-knacks she'd picked up here and there, and the personal care items, such as a hairbrush and small mirror. And finally, she pulled out a framed photograph and placed it on the shelf beside the small vase of flowers.  
  
{{Tap, tap}}  
  
"Come in," Sati called as she gazed at the photograph.  
  
The door slid aside to reveal Kasumi, carrying a large fluffy towel and a wash-bucket of bathing articles.  
  
"I thought you would like to bathe, before retiring," she said, stepping a bit closer and noticing the photograph on the shelf. "Oh, who are these people?"  
  
In the picture were five people, all about the same apparent age as Sati herself. First was a girl, with light-brown hair and golden-yellow eyes similar to Sati's, wearing a dark-blue robe and smiling at the camera. The next person was a boy, whose hair was a bit darker than the girl's and with eyes the color of fine jade, dressed in a blue poet's shirt and black dress pants, arms crossed over his chest. Sati was in the middle, with a torn up black shirt and tight black jeans, with an arm around the shoulders of the next person in the picture, another boy, of apparent Chinese ancestry, wearing white silk pants and shirt, who had his fingers in a peace sign. The last person in the picture was also a boy, with golden-brown hair and dark-blue eyes, dressed in blue jeans, a black shirt, and a black leather jacket, with his hands in the pockets.  
  
"My children. Going left to right are, my daughter, Valamar, and my sons, James, Sai, and Luke." Sati explained, pointing out each in turn. Grabbing up her night clothes, a pair of black velvet shorts and a red tank-top, she took the towel and bucket from Kasumi. "Thanks for telling me about the bath, Kasumi, I would have thought that you'd have drained it by now."  
  
"Oh, no. Nabiki often bathes before retiring, as she claims a hot soak before bed helps her to relax and fall asleep." Kasumi said, stepping aside to allow Sati to exit. "She usually drains the furo when she's finished."  
  
"Well, if I'm still in there once she's done, I'll be sure to drain it after I'm finished soaking then." Sati responded, and headed off for the bathing room.  
  
Kasumi stepped out of the small room as well, but paused before sliding the door closed to take another look at the photo of Sati and her children. They looked so happy together, like her own family had been before her mother passed away. Sighing softly, Kasumi slid the door closed and proceeded upstairs to her own room for the night, memories of happier times with her mother playing through her thoughts.  
  
*****  
  
Sati hissed softly to herself as she sank into the furo, the water feeling hotter than it actually was after she'd washed up with only cold water. She sighed, luxuriously, as she felt the heat relaxing the muscles of her back and legs. And gingerly, she probed the healing wounds on her right shoulder and left thigh.  
  
^Fucking hell, I hate silver,^ she thought as she leaned her head back against the side of the furo. A moment later, she raised it again, as she heard the door to the changing room slide open to admit Nabiki, a wash bucket in her hands.  
  
"Hope you don't mind if I join you?" Nabiki asked.  
  
"Not at all," Sati responded, leaning her head back against the side of the furo and closing her eyes. "Kasumi mentioned that you liked a good soak before bed, so I was sort of expecting you."  
  
"I'm just glad to see that you have better manners than Mr. Saotome, and changed forms before bathing and getting into the furo," Nabiki chuckled, taking a seat on a bathing stool and beginning to lather herself up. "You wouldn't believe the amount of shampoo he went through when he first arrived, and he still gets into the furo to change back, rather than just dumping a bucket of hot water over his head. Kasumi has to clean and refill the furo every time he bathes."  
  
"Hmpf," Sati snorted. "Sounds like he needs to be housebroken. Why doesn't she say something about it? It must be costing a fortune in heating bills."  
  
"It is," Nabiki sighed. "Unfortunately, Kasumi's far too polite to bring it up, and Daddy's forbidden me to charge him for the extra costs, since he's a *guest*! Funny how he doesn't have the same concern for Ranma, though."  
  
"Is Ranma also that bad?" Sati asked, sitting up and turning to look at the much younger girl, chronologically speaking anyway. Sati had to admit that despite not being as obviously physical as her younger sister, Nabiki had apparently taken some pride in her appearance and kept her form well-toned and taut, without being overly muscular. Quite an enticing figure at that, Sati noted with a pang of longing. ^Damn! It's been far too long since I've taken a mate, but... maybe she'd be interested in a tumble or two, if nothing more? Not too sure if I want to hang around for any real length of time, though! Ah well, time will tell!^  
  
"Not really," Nabiki said, rinsing the soap suds off. "It's just that Daddy has more than a few *double-standards*. His dear *old friend* can get away with just about anything, because of their *shared suffering* under their perverted old master, and Mr. Saotome takes every opportunity to remind Daddy of it, every chance he gets."  
  
"Genma always was an lazy opportunist," Sati chuckled, as Nabiki rose and walked over to the furo. She was about to step into the furo, when she paused, noting the ugly wound in Sati's shoulder.  
  
"What happened to you? It looks like you got shot!" Nabiki stated, entering the furo, her eyes scanning over the rest of Sati's lithe form, noting the other wound in her left thigh.  
  
"That's what happened, all right! With silver bullets, no less. Regular bullets wouldn't take nearly so long to heal, or leave scars. When I was visiting Romania, recently, some wannabe werewolf hunter decided that I was next on his list of kills. He's been chasing me ever since," Sati explained, then suddenly yawned, expansively. "Gods, I'm more tired than I thought!"  
  
"Someone's after you?" Nabiki asked, her eyes narrowing in demand for an answer.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Sati said, waving a hand dismissively. "I know how to take care of him! 'Sides, he has some kind of screwed up sense of honor, that won't let him risk hurting a bystander. You and your family are in no danger by allowing me to remain here."  
  
"Sounds a bit like Kuno-baby," Nabiki snorted, as Sati rose up out of the furo and began to dry herself off. "Although, Kuno's never seemed to be all that concerned about *bystanders*, unless they come between him and something he wants."  
  
"Now that's funny! That's the boy's name, Kuno. Taeko Kuno, the *Silver Werewolf Hunter* of Romania." Sati said, as she wrapped the large towel about herself and began walking toward the changing room. "Still haven't figured out what a *Japanese* Hunter was doing in Romania, of all places. Oh well, I'll worry about it later! In any case, I know I told you that I'd tell you about the differences between the various types of Lycanthropes, but... can it wait till tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure, no problem," Nabiki said, making herself more comfortable now that she had the furo to herself. "Good night, Sati."  
  
"G'night, Nabiki," Sati responded, while stifling another yawn.  
  
*****  
  
"Auntie?"  
  
Sati paused as she was crossing the main room of the house on her way back to her room, noting with only a minor bit of surprise that Ranma was still seated at the dining table.  
  
"What is it, Cub?" she responded, stifling yet another yawn. She was *really* looking forward to a good night's rest.  
  
"I thought we could, you know... talk? There's only so much you can say in a letter," Ranma said, looking a bit embarrassed for some reason.  
  
"Okay," Sati chuckled, moving to take a seat across from him at the table, when Ranma held up a hand to stop her.  
  
"Umm, not here!"  
  
"My room, then? It's a little cramped, but..."  
  
"No!" Ranma yelped, startling Sati, and looking about frantically. "Uh, no, that's okay! I was thinking about the roof, if that's okay with you, Auntie?"  
  
"Sure, Cub," Sati responded, motioning for him to lead the way, and then followed him out into the garden, listening to him grumble about overly-jealous, violent tomboys catching him in another woman's bedroom at night. From the garden they leaped up onto the roof, and made themselves comfortable.  
  
"I love a cloudless night. The stars are so clear. It's so peaceful up here, I can see why you like sitting up here," Sati said, settling to the roof to sit Indian-style and lean back onto her hands, her face turned upwards to gaze upon the stars.  
  
"It's peaceful... most of the time. I can get away from my life, for a time, up here," Ranma stated, sounding more than a little tired, as he also sat down beside her, drawing his knees up to his chest. "So, where have you been, Auntie, since you left?"  
  
"Lots of places, Cub. Egypt, America, England, and Romania. Even got a wannabe werewolf hunter on my tail now." Sati noticed Ranma's questioning gaze, and continued. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be alright. It's gonna take more than a couple of silver bullets to take me down." She pulled the wide strap of her tank-top aside and showed him where one of the silver bullets had hit her, and also indicated the wound on her thigh.  
  
"Maybe you should go see Dr. Tofu. He might be able to make it heal faster," Ranma said as Sati readjusted her top.  
  
"Nah, it's okay!" Sati stated, shaking her head. "Time will take care of it, and only strong magic could speed up the healing process. So, has that idiot father of yours let you meet your mother, as her son, yet?"  
  
"Nope, he's still afraid that she'll kill us 'cause of the curse. It's his fault for taking us to the damned place," Ranma stated as he thought dark thoughts about his father.  
  
"I still say you should tell her, Ranma," Sati said softly. "She's your mother, and I seriously doubt that she would kill her own cub, for any reason. The Jusenkyo curse doesn't change who you are, and there are far loftier goals to reach for than just being a *man-among-men*! Such as being a good person, which you definitely are!"  
  
"Thanks, Auntie," Ranma responded, laying back upon the roof to stare up into the night sky. "I appreciate it!"  
  
"No problem, Cub," Sati chuckled, and stretched out along the roof as well. "So... which one do you like?"  
  
"Huh?" Ranma grunted, wondering what she was talking about. "Which what?"  
  
"Your fiancees, of course!" Sati clarified, grinning, rolling onto her side and propping her head up with her hand. "Which of your fiancees do you find most appealing? Or do you prefer someone other than one of your so-called *official fiancees*, hmm?"  
  
Ranma sighed, heavily, in obvious frustration. "Can we talk about it later, Auntie? Please?"  
  
"Sure, I was just curious, Ranma. Don't worry about it." Sati said, and suddenly yawned, massively. "Damn, but I'm beat! Right now, I really want to find out how comfortable that futon Kasumi made up for me is! I'm going to be staying for a while, so we'll have lots of time to talk! So, if you'll excuse me..."  
  
"Good night, Auntie!" Ranma said, but made no move to get up, as Sati did so.  
  
"Don't stay up here too long, Cub!" Sati stated as she walked over to the edge of the roof. "A cold roof is a poor substitute for a warm futon!"  
  
"I won't. I just want to watch the stars a bit longer, that's all!"  
  
"Whatever! Good night, Cub!" Sati said, jumping down from the roof and heading inside for the night.  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 3 


	4. Chapter 4 rewrite

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
Sati yawned as she slid open the door to her small room and stumbled down the hall to join the Tendos and Saotomes for breakfast in the main room. The futon had been remarkably comfortable, but she could have done without the wake-up call provided by the two yelling Saotomes as they fought. Stepping into the main room, she looked about for a moment, before deciding to just plop down at the low table beside Nabiki.  
  
"G'mornin'," Sati mumbled, stifling yet another yawn, and attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes. Nabiki just grunted in reply, continuing to nurse her strong morning coffee, while Soun peered over the top of his paper long enough to nod a greeting in return.  
  
"Good morning, Sati," Kasumi called cheerfully from the kitchen doorway. "Did you sleep well?  
  
^Nobody should be that chipper this early in the morning,^ Sati thought to herself, as she stretched the kinks out of her neck. "Yeah, I did. Thanks. I don't suppose I could get some of that coffee, could I?"  
  
"Of course," Kasumi responded, disappearing back into her kitchen, only to reappear a few moments later with a large mug of the hot beverage. "I'm afraid that it is just instant coffee, as Nabiki is normally the only one to drink it."  
  
"As long as it's not decaf, it'll be fine," Sati responded, savoring the aroma.  
  
"Decaf ain't coffee," Nabiki mumbled, taking another sip from her own mug. "Just dirty water."  
  
"No arguments here," Sati mumbled back, and then proceeded to slowly drain her mug's contents in companionable silence alongside Nabiki, as Kasumi began carrying out food items from the kitchen and placing them on the table.  
  
Shortly, the remaining residents of the household arrived, taking their places at the table, and breakfast got under way. As did the all-too-familiar dueling of the Saotomes for the most food, which just caused Sati to roll her eyes at their antics.  
  
"Morning, baby," Akane cooed, as P-chan *finally* stumbled into the main room of the house, after a side trip to Beijing and Nantucket while trying to find it, and trotted happily over to his mistress, who promptly lifted the little piglet into her lap and began feeding him morsels off her plate.  
  
Sati could almost hear Ranma's teeth grinding together, as Akane continued to baby her *pet*. It would have been hilarious, if it hadn't been so potentially disastrous.  
  
"Say, Akane... How long have you had that pig?" Sati asked, as she slapped the back of Genma's hand with her chopsticks when he attempted to steal some of the food from her plate. He'd have a painful welt on the back of his hand for the rest of the day, as a result. After several moments of apparently intense concentration on her question, Sati earned a glare from the youngest Tendo when she muttered, "Don't hurt yourself!"  
  
"I found him in my room not long after Ryouga came after the Pervert," Akane said, lifting the piglet up before her and rubbing her nose against his snout. "Didn't I, P-chan?"  
  
Sati rolled her eyes, as Akane's speech descended into a bunch of babying gibberish. ^That girl is either extremely dense, or willingly blind to the facts!^ she thought, before resuming her meal.  
  
Eventually, everyone finished their breakfast, and Sati watched as the youngest members of the household left for school, while Genma dragged Soun off somewhere. Only then did she turn to give the little piglet perched on the table a particularly penetrating look. "You're about as pathetic as they come... *P-chan*!"  
  
"Bwee?" P-chan... um, bweed, looking up at her in apparent confusion.  
  
"Yes, I'm talking to you! What do you think's going to happen when she finds out that you and her dear little *pet* are one and the same? Hmm? And she *will* find out, eventually!" Sati told the little piglet, and released a sigh. "If you're lucky, she'll just kill you! If not... Well, there are worse fates than death! And the longer you wait to tell her, the worse it will be!"  
  
"You can understand Ryouga, Sati?" Kasumi asked, pausing in her clearing of the table.  
  
"When you're basically an animal, as well, it's not that hard. That, and I guessed," Sati responded, smirking as she got up from the table. Then, her expression became more serious. "I am rather curious as to why everyone let's Akane continue to believe that he's just an ordinary piglet? Obviously, you know who he really is! I know why Ranma keeps it a secret, but you and the others..."  
  
"Father made me promise not to tell," Kasumi said, obviously not liking the situation she'd been forced into.  
  
"Let me guess," Sati sighed. "He's hoping that it will making Ranma jealous, right? Sounds like one of Genma's ideas!"  
  
Shaking her head at the idiocy of the situation, Sati headed back to her room to get dressed for the day.  
  
*****  
  
Dressed in black-leather pants and a black t-shirt, with [QUitE bRaiN oR I'lL PokE YOu wiTh a Q-TiP] written in white across the chest, Sati poked her head into the kitchen as she adjusted the black wristbands she'd placed upon her wrists. "Hey Kasumi, I'm headin' out for awhile, would you like me to pick up anything?"  
  
"Yes, please," Kasumi replied, setting aside the dish she'd been washing. Drying off her hands, she quickly wrote out a few items on a notepad and handed it to Sati. "I only need a few items for the dinner I'll be preparing this evening! You shouldn't have any difficulty getting them for me!"  
  
"Not a problem, Kasumi," Sati responded, looking over the short list before placing it in her pocket. "See ya later!"  
  
*****  
  
Sati had spent the morning exploring the Nerima Ward, comparing it with some of the descriptions that Ranma had written about, and just getting a feel for the area as a whole. She'd been past Furinkan High School, although she hadn't entered as classes were in session, and walked through the park, savoring the feel of growing things surrounding her. She'd even passed by Ucchan's Okonomiyaki which, according to Ranma, belonged to his *best buddy*, Ukyo Kuonji. She intended to eventually meet all of Ranma's many suitors, but it appeared as if Miss Kuonji would have to wait, as there'd been a sign in the window stating that the shop would be closed for a while, as she was out of town visiting a sick relative.  
  
Sati paused in her explorations, as her stomach rumbled, rather loudly. It was one of the few complaints she'd always had concerning Asian cuisine... too easily digested by Westerner stomachs, not to mention a Lycanthrope's. Still, it was approaching lunch time, and looking around, Sati spotted another location she'd intended to check out in any case... The Nekohanten, or Cat-Cafe as it was also known.  
  
Ranma, of course, had written to her about his problems with Chinese Amazons, and she'd had a few encounters with them, herself. She couldn't recall ever meeting anyone named Shampoo, and *Old Ghoul* was far too generalized a description to identify any of the Amazon Elders that she'd met, as they all looked like old ghouls.  
  
"Nihao! Welcome to Nekohanten! Am Shampoo, I show you seat and take order, yes?"  
  
Sati blinked at the lushly endowed, lavender-haired, bundle of bubbly cheerfulness that had bounced up to her when she'd stepped through the entrance. Shampoo was extremely cute, appeared to have a *very* out-going personality, and possessed a soft-looking, shapely, body that seemed to scream, "Cuddle me!" Sati wasn't fooled, however, into believing that Shampoo was as soft and innocent as she appeared. Just from the way she'd moved, Sati could tell that there was some real muscle beneath the soft appearing exterior, and that she was well-skilled in the martial arts.  
  
^I can see now, why Ranma's so concerned about this girl,^ Sati thought, chuckling inwardly as she followed her to a booth. ^She's practically a male's wet-dream come to life. If she were to back off and stop pressuring Ranma to go back to China with her, and just tried to be his friend...^  
  
"Shampoo let look at menu," Shampoo bubbled, handing Sati said item. "Come back, take order when ready, yes?"  
  
Sati nodded, and scanned over the listing of food items available, occasionally glancing up to watch Shampoo move about the restaurant. ^Poor cub must be taking one hell of a lot of cold showers, if *that* girl's coming on to him as forcefully as he's said!^  
  
"You make choice?" Shampoo asked, bouncing up to Sati's booth. "Ready order now?"  
  
Yes. I'll have the #5 special! Sati responded.  
  
You speak Chinese? Great! I get so tired of sounding stupid in Japanese! Shampoo fairly gushed in appreciation. The men seem to like it, but it makes me sound like some kind of an air-head. It's refreshing to actually talk normally with someone. Anyway, I'll have your order right out!  
  
*****  
  
Sati had continued to watch the young Amazon as she awaited her meal, noting the way she adroitly avoided the groping hands of more than a few salarymen as she made her way about the room. But then she detected a long unfelt, yet familiar, ki-signature drawing near and looked over to see an obviously ancient, very small, woman pogoing towards her.  
  
I thought I heard a familiar voice out here! Cologne said, placing Sati's order before her. Hello. Doing well I hope.  
  
Hello, yourself, Cologne, Sati responded, taking a sip of the ramen broth. Mmm, I see you still haven't lost your touch in the kitchen. Tasty as ever! Still, I never expected to run across you, of all people, in Japan! I thought you were going to concentrate on training an heir, so that you could retire into relative obscurity, and spend your idle time terrifying the young men of your village?  
  
For the most part, I am, Cologne stated, hoping over to take the seat across from Sati. Shampoo, there, is my designated heir, and I can train her anywhere! The Council can see to the running of the day to day affairs of the Village, and... *terrifying* young Japanese boys, is so much more satisfying then doing it to the males in the Village, who are all desensitized to an overbearing, know-it-all, ancient old woman!  
  
True, true! Sati chuckled, pausing in the eating of her ramen. So, what else brings you to Japan, other than the ready entertainment?  
  
Shampoo. My great-granddaughter is here to retrieve her wayward husband, Cologne answered. And never a more obstinate and stubborn young man, have I ever encountered!  
  
So, this young man challenged and defeated your great-granddaughter? Sati asked.  
  
He did indeed! Cologne cackled. Not once, but twice. It's quite a story.  
  
Why don't you tell it to me, Sati prompted, and listened closely as Cologne related the story of how Ranma came to be Shampoo's intended husband, although Cologne never referred to Ranma by his name, only as Son-in-law.  
  
An interesting and entertaining story, Cologne, Sati stated, as Cologne finished talking. But, aren't you bending your laws a might? After all, from what you described, the boy, even as a girl, never actually challenged your great-granddaughter for her hand in marriage! Instead, *she* challenged Shampoo for a prize feast, during an open tournament, and then *he* accidentally defeated her in the defense of another.  
  
//The story of the Contrary Jewel, in the OAV "Desperately Seeking Shampoo", wherein Ranma does challenge Shampoo, has not occurred in this universe, and therefore Ranma has never, officially, issued a Marriage Challenge to Shampoo.//  
  
Not really, Cologne shrugged, indifferently. Our laws are written so as to be flexible to our interpretation, as the need arises. And in this case, I have chosen to interpret them as binding upon Son-in-law.  
  
To each their own, I suppose, Sati sighed, noticing the time and climbing out of the booth. Anyway, I've got to be going. I've got some shopping to take care of.  
  
Where are you staying? Cologne asked, hopping out of the booth to perch upon her staff.  
  
At the Tendo Dojo. I'm visiting a young friend mine, by the name of Ranma.  
  
You know Son-in-law? Cologne asked, arching an eyebrow, to which Sati merely shrugged and smiled.  
  
See you later, Cologne! Nice meeting you, Shampoo! Sati called out, as she exited the restaurant.  
  
^Why am I not surprised?^ Cologne mused, and wondering how Sati's presence might alter things in the days to come.  
  
*****  
  
By the time Sati returned to the Dojo school had apparently let out, and after dropping off the groceries she'd purchased with Kasumi, she stepped out on to the porch to see Akane and a wet redhead, which she assumed was Ranma's cursed form, arguing beside the koi pond. As this was the first time she'd actually seen it, Sati took a few moments to get a good look, noting that Ranma made an extremely cute young girl... even while scowling.  
  
"You make a very cute girl, Cub!" Sati stated, chuckling at the put-upon look she received from the petite redhead, as she walked over to the two of them and interrupting their argument. "So, do I even want to know what the two of you are arguing about?"  
  
"This jerk insulted my cooking!" Akane snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Ranma. "I worked extra hard in Home-Ec to make him something for lunch, and he wouldn't even taste it!"  
  
"I don't eat nothin' that *glows* in broad daylight, and *growls* at me!" Ranma stated firmly, crossing her arms beneath her ample bosom.  
  
"I don't think I want to know," Sati said, shaking her head. "Akane, where's Nabiki?"  
  
"In her room, where else?" Akane snapped, glaring at the redhead. "You could have, at least, tried it, Ranma! You didn't have to throw a stick at Kuno and yell 'fetch'!"  
  
Sati walked away, shaking her head as Ranma went into a giggling fit as she started to describe how hilarious it had been to watch Akane's cooking chasing the kendoist about the schoolyard trying to *fetch* Kuno's bokken.  
  
Entering the house, and heading upstairs, Sati easily located Nabiki's bedroom and knocked on the door.  
  
"It's open!" Nabiki responded from within.  
  
"So, you ready for me to tell you about Lycanthropes?" Sati asked, once she'd stepped into Nabiki's bedroom and closed the door behind her.  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 4 


	5. Chapter 5 rewrite

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 5  
  
  
"So, you ready for me to tell you about Lycanthropes?" Sati asked, once she'd stepped into Nabiki's bedroom and closed the door behind her.  
  
"Absolutely," Nabiki responded, motioning for Sati to take a seat upon her bed, as she pulled a tape recorder out of her desk drawer and set it upon the desk top, before swiveling her chair about to face her. "I hope you don't mind if I record our discussion, I like the information I get to be as accurate as possible, and I hate taking down written notes during the actual discussion!"  
  
"Suit yourself," Sati responded with a shrug. "You can take everything I tell you and write a book, for all I care. Only those who'd actually met some of us, would likely consider it as anything other than a work of fiction. Just like so many others."  
  
"You'll forgive me, if I decide to test that theory out for myself, I hope!" Nabiki said, pressing the record button. "So, you were going to tell me about *Werewolves*?"  
  
"Actually," Sati began, "I was going to tell you the difference between *Lycanthropes* and the *cursed* werewolves made so popular in movies, perhaps a legend or two, and answer some of the questions I'm certain you'll have. Fair enough?"  
  
"Agreed," Nabiki responded, nodding.  
  
"The first difference, is forms." Sati began, adopting a lecturing tone. "A *True* Lycanthrope, of which there is quite a variety as it's not just limited to wolves, has three: A human form, which is the weakest, physically; a full-animal form, which is the strongest form, and tends to be far larger than what a normal animal could ever attain; and finally, there is the middle form, sometimes referred to as the furry or hybrid form, which isn't as strong as the full-animal form, but is stronger than the human one. The size of the hybrid form varies, however, from individual to individual, although for the most part it tends to be much larger than the human form. I'm actually smaller than most."  
  
"Could you elaborate on that, please?" Nabiki asked. "I noticed that you seemed a bit larger in your hybrid form!"  
  
"I'm actually something of a runt among lycanthropes," Sati chuckled. "Let me put it this way... Most Lycanthropes would need to wear clothing that is the size of a small tent, if they wanted to wear *anything* while in their hybrid form, but in that form normal clothing would be *far* too small. And shifting to full-animal form, usually destroys any clothing they might have been wearing, no matter how large. Myself, I don't really change that much in size, going from human to hybrid, except for gaining a few inches and putting on a bit more muscle mass. Fortunately for me, my daughter created a means by which I can enchant my clothing to go into a type of subspace pocket whenever I need to go into my full-wolf form. Let me tell you, it can get very expensive if you have to continually replace destroyed clothing!"  
  
"Enchant?" Nabiki queried with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Valamar is a mage. She knows all kinds of magic," Sati explained. "Now *Cursed* Lycanthropes, or just your garden variety shapeshifters, don't have a hybrid form, and their behavior can vary drastically depending upon how they came to be. The most common variety, which are wolves, came about around a hundred-years before I was even born. What happened was a group of wizards tried to copy the way True Lycanthropes changed shape. Needless to say, since they decided to use Dark Magic, something went wrong. Anybody bitten or born from their descendants can only transform once a month, during a full moon, but they have no real control over their animal forms, as their baser instincts override their human intellect. And finally, there's the most well-known, but rarest type of cursed lycanthrope, the infamous *Wolfman* of movie legend. To me, they look more like were-*dogs*, than werewolves. Anyway, that type can't assume a full-animal form and have been all but completely killed off by humans in the last few centuries.  
  
"Now onto silver and why it effects Lycanthropes like it does. This is one of the legends I mentioned at the beginning." Sati stated. "Long before even my own mother was born, there was a young, but powerful, wizard who was in love with a young female werewolf that was beautiful beyond imagination. He declared his undying loving to her, but she told him that she was unable to return his affections, as she was in love with silver and that was all she needed. Back then, Lycanthropes loved the metal, just as much as gold. So, the young wizard thought that she only wanted the metal like a spoiled brat. In a jealous rage, and purely for spite, he cursed *all* Lycanthropes, werewolves, weretigers, wererats, etcetera, etcetera, saying that since silver was all she loved, then it would be the end of her. Ironically, she hadn't been referring to the metal at all! The truth was that *Silver* was the name of a young werewolf male that she had agreed to become mates with."  
  
"Wait a minute, the curse with silver was over a misunderstanding?" Nabiki asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yep. The wizard had thought she'd meant the metal, but it had been her future mate that she'd been referring to." Sati chuckled. "So, any other questions?"  
  
"Hmm, what about wolf's-bane?" Nabiki asked.  
  
"Tryin' to run me off already?" Sati asked in return, grinning. "Yes, it affects werewolves, but only werewolves and not all of them. It's like an allergy, most are affected by it, while others aren't. I've had pack-mates who'd become violently ill just from the smell of the stuff. I'm one of the few it has no effect on!"  
  
"That's good to know," Nabiki said, smirking. "Akane was asking Kasumi where she might be able to get some! That and some garlic!"  
  
"What? She thinks I'm part vampire, or something?" Sati asked, amused. "She'll be disappointed! I like garlic!"  
  
"Okay, but let's allow her to discover that on her own, shall we?" Nabiki said conspiratorily. "Next question... How many types of Lycanthropes are there?"  
  
"Not as many as there used to be," Sati stated sadly. "Most of the non-predator types were hunted to extinction, long ago, as sources of food for the ever-expanding human population. Even some of the predator types are now extinct, or bordering upon it. Just as an example, there's only only one werecheetah left in the world, that being a Brittany Elan Digger, over in America."  
  
//I don't own Gold Diggers, either!//  
  
"I only have one other question," Nabiki said, after an uncomfortable silence. "Are there any other Lycanthropes that are older than you, and still alive today?"  
  
"Yes," Sati responded, after a bit of thought. "Last I heard, anyway. Jade VonWolf is one of the first of our kind, and she's roughly about six-million-years-old. If I can ever get a hold of her, she can tell you a whole hell of a lot more of the history of the world, than I ever could. And if that's all of your questions, let's head on downstairs. I believe I can smell Kasumi's cooking, and that must mean it's about time for dinner."  
  
*****  
  
Not a lot occurred over the next few days, although Sati did manage to convince Genma that it wasn't necessary or beneficial, especially for him, to wake up the entire household *every* damn morning to train with his son. Afternoon sparring matches were just as affective, and far better for his continued good health. Sati had also come to the conclusion that Kasumi was working far too hard, trying to take care of everyone all by herself, and was presently attempting to force her out of the kitchen.  
  
"Look, even you need a break every now and then. Take the day off. Go see a movie or something, and let me take care of the cooking and cleaning today!" Sati said as she lightly pushed the Tendo girl into the main room.  
  
"But..." Kasumi started, but ceased as Sati shook her head firmly.  
  
"No buts, just sit there! I'll make breakfast this morning, as well as the cub's school lunches today. You're taking the day off! You'll drive yourself into an early grave if you don't take some time for yourself, occasionally." Sati said over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen. "Now then, let's see what I can make in the way of an American breakfast! Something that'll stay with ya for more than an hour or two!"  
  
Several minutes later, a disgruntled and wet redhead made her way into the room, who promptly rushed back to take a quick peek into the kitchen after seeing Kasumi sitting at the table. Apparently satisfied with what she'd seen in the kitchen, Ranma headed outside and into the garden to do some kata before breakfast. Not a moment later, Akane entered the room, swinging a now empty bucket.  
  
"Kasumi? But I thought..." Akane stammered, blinking in confusion and looking from her eldest sister and back to the kitchen doorway where sounds of industrious cooking could be heard.  
  
"Sati said that she was doing the cooking and other chores today. Isn't that nice of her? She insisted that I take the day off!" Kasumi said with a smile.  
  
Walking back to the kitchen, Akane stepped inside and watched as Sati went about the task of cooking pancakes, eggs and bacon. She was even preparing the bentos for them to take to school, all at the same time.  
  
"Perfect timing, Cub! Here, go give this to Ranma, so she can change back!" Sati said as she placed a cup of hot water into Akane's hands and pushed her back out the doorway. ^Whew! Avoided that disaster, don't want breakfast to run off!^  
  
*****  
  
"Is it safe?" This was the question upon the minds of the Tendo family as they looked over the unusual breakfast items Sati had placed onto the table. Their answer was Ranma and Genma digging into the unusual food with their usual gusto as soon as Sati gave the go ahead. Shrugging, the Tendo family also began to eat, getting their first taste of an American-style breakfast. It wasn't their usual fish, rice, and miso soup, but... Nabiki, at least, had found a new favorite food, the pancake! With lots and lots of syrup! Where Sati had acquired Maple syrup on such short notice never even entered her mind as she savored the light and fluffy delicacy.  
  
Later in the day, after she'd cleaned up the lunch dishes, Sati found a sedate Kasumi sitting on the porch, just looking out into the garden.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to go out? Go see a movie! I'll even pay for it!"  
  
"I'm quite alright, Sati," Kasumi responded hesitantly, not truly knowing what to do with so much *free* time, now that she had it.  
  
"Look, you need to go out and do something! Not just sit around the house! I hear there's a good romance movie playing at the mall, go see it! Be a teen for once, I insist!" Sati argued, ushering the girl onto her feet and towards the front door.  
  
Kasumi was still hesitant, but Sati wouldn't give an inch on the matter, and she was soon on her way to the local shopping mall to catch the latest chick-flick.  
  
"Dang, but that cub is stubborn!" Sati sighed, watching from the doorway to make certain Kasumi wasn't about to run back into the house. She'd been more than a little worried that Kasumi was going to be one of those women who were actually afraid to leave the safety of their homes, after spending so much of their lives sheltered within them.  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 5 


	6. Chapter 6 rewrite

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
  
Now let's go back a bit, to earlier in the morning, as the youngest members of the Tendo household made their way towards Furinkan High School. As usual, of course, Ranma was running along the top of the fence, while Akane raced along the ground, this time accompanied by Nabiki who had been delayed from departing the residence at her usual time by a second helping of Sati's delicious pancakes.  
  
"What right does that monster have to order Kasumi around like that?" Akane huffed. "Kasumi enjoys cooking for us and taking care of the house! I'll bet she's just doing it to get everyone out of the house, so she can go through our stuff and learn all of our most intimate secrets!"  
  
"Auntie would never do anything like that!" Ranma snapped, more than a little put out by Akane's constant hostile attitude towards Sati, and jumped down from the fence top to ask just what the tomboy's problem was, but was side-tracked by a face-full of water. The Old Lady of the Ladle had struck again, and Ranma would once more arrive at school in girl-form, as they didn't have time to stop by Dr. Tofu's clinic for some hot water.  
  
"Lighten up, Sis," Nabiki panted, unused to trying to keep up with the other two, "even if Kasumi does enjoy cooking and cleaning and stuff like that, it can't be good for her to do it day in and day out, every day, to the exclusion of all else. I happen to agree with Sati that Kasumi needs to get out more and act her real age. And besides, if you have any secrets that I don't *already* know about, then they're not worth knowing!"  
  
"I don't have any secrets!" Akane growled at her sister. "So don't even think of trying to blackmail me, Nabiki!"  
  
"Oh? What about the items you keep hidden under your mattress, hmm?" Nabiki asked, with a decidedly wicked smirk, as Akane suddenly flushed and began to sweat.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Akane snapped. "And what are you doing searching through my room, anyway?"  
  
"Why, looking for dirty little secrets, of course!" Nabiki replied easily, walking past the other two girls. "You never know when they might come in handy to know!"  
  
"What d'ya have under your mattress?" Ranma asked curiously.  
  
"None of your business, you pervert!" Akane snarled, still blushing furiously.  
  
"I'd be a little more careful about calling others *perverts*, if I were you, Akane!" Nabiki called back to the two. "Now hurry up, or you'll both be late!"  
  
*****  
  
Lunchtime at Furinkan...  
  
"Hey, Kuno-baby! I've got a deal for you," Nabiki said, as she stood in front of his desk, as their classmates filed out of the room.  
  
"And what, pray tell, would that be, Nabiki Tendo? More photos of my loves?" Kuno asked haughtilly.  
  
"Indeed," Nabiki responded, placing two *tasteful* pictures of Ranma-chan and Akane before him. "I'll *give* you these, *if* you can tell me if you have a relative, named Taeko? If you do, and if you can provide with detailed information about him... you'll get these, as well!" She laid out a few more photos of Kuno's two *loves*, and these photos were somewhat more risque in nature, which Kuno pounced upon like a starving man.  
  
"I do, indeed, have a cousin by that name. I will have my servant bring you the information you require!" Kuno stated, drooling over the photos, which Nabiki promptly snatched back.  
  
"You can have these, when I have the information I asked for. Nice doing business with you, Kuno-baby!" she said, as she headed outside for lunch.  
  
*****  
  
Nabiki paused once she'd stepped out of the stuffy school building, savoring the fresh cooling breeze. Looking about the schoolyard, she saw Akane eating her lunch with her friends, Sayuri and Yuka, and considered joining them when she noticed Akane scowling and glaring across the yard. Turning to see what had her baby-sister in such a foul mood, again, Nabiki felt her heart skip a beat and her body temperature begin to rise a few degrees.  
  
It was, not unexpectedly, Ranma that Akane was glaring at. He was on the other side of the schoolyard, with his so-called *buddies*, Hiroshi and Daisuke. For whatever reason, Ranma appeared to be demonstrating a kata, and Nabiki's eyes couldn't help but follow the smoothly flowing, graceful and powerful movements. It was akin to watching a tiger, or some other large predatory animal. Grace and power flowed smoothly and unconsciously through every motion, with no wasted energy. A demonstration of absolute physical control. It was deceptively beautiful, and in reality, so very deadly if the need should ever arise.  
  
Where Akane's look was one of jealousy and resentment. Nabiki's look, if seen by anyone who didn't think they knew her, would have been one of longing and intense... hunger. What many would have described as... Lust! Then again, Nabiki had never made it a secret that she considered Ranma to be a *Hunk*, and about the only female in the entire school that ever indicated otherwise... was Akane. But then, the majority of the female student body had always considered Akane's sexual leanings to be in serious doubt, ranging anywhere from lesbianism all the way to bestiality, the later being heavily favored whenever P-chan made an appearance at the school.  
  
"Hey, Boss!"  
  
Nabiki sighed, forcing her mind away from the fantasies that she wanted to indulge in, and turned to see what her *associate* wanted.  
  
*****  
  
Ranma looked about the schoolyard, having sensed that he was being watched intensely, but without the hostile feelings he usually felt from the Tomboy, and noted Nabiki turning away from him to talk with another girl. He didn't understand the middle Tendo girl most of the time, but attracting her attention had seldom proven to be a good thing in the past. Almost wistfully, he recalled the time she'd been his *Tendo* fiancee, and of how she'd offered to wash his back that one time, after he'd returned to the Dojo after a particularly grueling day of having been rented out to all of the various sports clubs at school. He'd almost accepted the offer, just to see if she'd go through with it, and to get a bit of payback for what she'd put him through. Despite what many believed, he was not unaffected by the sight of a pretty girl, and Nabiki was far from being considered ugly. If only...  
  
Any further contemplations that Ranma may have had about his relationship with Nabiki, were put on hold by a terrifying sound. The ching-a-ling of a bicycle bell. The sudden terror that gripped Ranma wasn't due to the sound of the bell itself, but rather by what it signified as about to occur, especially as the sound had originated at a point above and behind him. Before he could recover from his suddenly frozen state of terror, and dodge out of the way of what he knew was coming, the Bike of Doom's front tire connected with the back of his head and slammed him to the ground.  
  
"Nihao! Shampoo bring Airen lunch!" the overly-cheerful Amazon sing-songed as she held up her delivery box. Then, looking down beneath her Bike of Doom at a pained grunt, she asked, "Why Airen under Shampoo's bike?"  
  
"Shampoo," Ranma sighed in the tone of the long-suffering. "Get offa me!"  
  
"Shampoo make too too delicious lunch for Airen!" Shampoo chirped merrily, as she wheeled her bicycle off of her husband, allowing him to roll over and sit up, brushing off any debris clinging to the front of his silk blouse. "Airen eat now, yes?"  
  
"Auntie already made me a big enough lunch, Shampoo. Thanks, anyway!" he said, holding up his empty bento.  
  
"That remind Shampoo. Great-Grandmother say to ask if nice wolf-girl can come to Nekohanten for dinner Sunday night. Great-Grandmother want talk with her more and maybe spar after dinner, if nice wolf-girl willing." Shampoo said, relaying the message, to which Ranma just blinked.  
  
"The Old Ghoul knows Auntie?" he asked.  
  
"Airen ask if wolf-girl come, yes?" Shampoo asked, as the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang.  
  
"Umm... Sure! I'll tell her!" Ranma responded, wondering what his future held. Auntie had never mentioned knowing Cologne.  
  
"Shampoo see Airen later, maybe go on date, yes?" Shampoo happily stated, hopping back onto her bicycle and racing out of the schoolyard, cheerfully calling "Bai-bai!" over her shoulder.  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 6 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
  
It amazed Sati that someone could have such a bad sense of direction, it really did. The boy, Ryouga, was standing there looking at a map trying to find the Tendo Dojo. Never mind the fact that the map was of Juuban and not of Nerima, he was standing right outside the gate of the very place he was looking for. All he had to do was turn around and see the sign. Sati reached out and tapped the fanged-youth on the shoulder, causing him to turn towards her.  
  
"Can I help you with something, Cub?" Sati asked.  
  
Ryouga had the vague sense that he had seen this woman before, but he couldn't immediately recall when or where that might have been. "Can you tell me where the Tendo Dojo is from here?" he asked, embarrassed as usual to be asking for directions.  
  
"Turn around." Oh yes, his bad sense of direction was truly amazing, but she also found it rather amusing, as well.  
  
Ryouga did as instructed and came face to face with the sign on the wall declaring the building within as the Tendo Dojo. He chuckled with nervous embarrassment, blushing, and reached up to scratch the back of his head. How could he have missed seeing that?  
  
"Ranma isn't here yet; he's still at school at the moment. But you could come in and wait for him." Sati said as she opened the gate and looked back at him in invitation. Grinning sheepishly, Ryouga followed Sati through the gate and she then escorted him into the house to the main room. Looking him over, as this was the first time she had seen his human form, Sati had to admit that with his unruly black hair, cute little fangs, and rugged build, he was actually quite handsome. It was a shame really that he seemed so obsessed with Akane, but nobody said she couldn't attempt to draw his attention to her. Sighing, Sati shook her head at her present train of thought. After all, Ryouga was the same age as the boy she considered to be her youngest son. Not that it really mattered, of course. With the exception of Valamar's sire, all of her mates, both male and female, had been much younger than herself.  
  
"If you'll take a seat at the table; I'll make us some tea and we can talk about some of your travels, while we wait for Ranma to get out of school," Sati said, before proceeding into the kitchen. She also needed to check on the chicken she was preparing for dinner that evening.  
  
*****  
  
Sati was laughing hilariously as Ryouga told her of the time he'd found himself in a Nunnery, NAKED, after changing back into his human form and of his desperate attempts to escape from the male-starved women, when Kasumi returned from the theater. Sati noted that the eldest Tendo daughter looked better and more relaxed than earlier.  
  
"Hey, Cub! Enjoy your movie?" Sati asked as she poured some tea for Kasumi.  
  
"Yes, Auntie. The movie was quite enjoyable." Kasumi responded joining them at the table. "Hello, Ryouga."  
  
"Hello, Kasumi," Ryouga responded in kind, then noted Sati hold up her hand and begin a countdown, curling down a finger upon each number.  
  
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." Then Sati pointed out into the garden towards the koi pond, where an object suddenly dropped into it with a large splash. A moment later, an irritated redhead broke the surface of the pond, spitting out water and muttering about short-tempered tomboys. "Wonderful splash, Cub! There's hot water in the kitchen!"  
  
"Thanks, Auntie," Ranma said, flashing her a smile before rushing past and into the kitchen. Not long after Ranma disappeared into the kitchen, Akane and Nabiki could be heard entering the house and announcing they were home. While Nabiki went up to her room to get started on her homework, Akane decided to see if Kasumi was home and to talk to her about what she'd done on her *day off*. Of course, she completely forgot about that upon seeing Ryouga at the table.  
  
"Oh, hi Ryouga!" Akane gushed happily upon seeing him, and moved to sit beside him, pouring herself a cup of the tea before asking him about his latest adventures.  
  
Ranma exited the kitchen, male once more, and frowned at the way Akane seemed to fawn over the eternally lost boy, before walking over to plop down at the table next to Sati.  
  
"What did you do to make her mad this time?" Sati whispered into his ear, not having missed his earlier expression at his fiancee's behavior towards Ryouga. Ranma released a frustrated sigh and explained about Shampoo's visit to the school earlier in the day.  
  
"Oh, and she also said that Cologne wanted to know if you wanted to join her for dinner on Sunday, to catch up on things and maybe spar a little." Ranma added.  
  
"Hmphf, she hasn't changed a bit!" Sati snorted, leaning onto the table and propping her chin in her hand. "Cologne always did try to get others to do things for her. Don't get me wrong, that Amazon is a really good friend of mine, but even 200-years-ago she was getting others to do her leg-work for her. I guess old habits are hard to break, eh?"  
  
Ranma smiled ruefully and shook his head. Sati never seemed to run out of things to amaze him with. He could remember sitting with her next to the campfire, when she had traveled with himself and his father, telling him stories of her travels and of the people she'd met. He hadn't even known until recently that she'd known the pervert Happosai, managing to scare the old man shitless, and the old mummy, Cologne. He should really ask her how she had met the two of them sometime. He managed to keep the frown off his face as he turned his attention towards Akane and Ryouga, who was still blushing a bit as he talked with her.  
  
"So, P-chan, you didn't stay away as long as you usually do," he lightly teased.  
  
Ryouga quickly lost his blush as he turned to glare at his rival, and growled, "Ranma..."  
  
"Ranma, leave Ryouga alone!" Akane snarled at the same time, causing Sati to roll her eyes.  
  
"Oh, come on, you two. Even I could tell he was just joking around. There's no need to get so angry over it!" Sati said, laying a hand on Ryouga's arm to calm him down. She grinned as the fanged-boy became flushed and distracted at her contact. She was going to have fun with this one. Akane, meanwhile, simply huffed indignantly at being accused of overreacting and, after sending an angered glare in Sati's direction, rose from the table and stomped her way out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom.  
  
Noting the time on a nearby clock, Sati stood up from the table, stretching, not so unconsciously displaying herself for Ryouga's benefit, and headed for the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. Pausing in the doorway, she turned back to face the boys, who were now glaring at each other over the table. "Why don't you two cubs go spar or something. I'll call you when dinner's ready!"  
  
"Sure, Auntie! C'mon P-chan," Ranma said as he reached over to take Ryouga by the arm and lead him out into the garden.  
  
"Don't call me *P-chan*!" Ryouga growled, shaking off Ranma's grip on his arm, but following him outside.   
  
"Do you need any help, Sati?" Kasumi asked, still sitting at the table, but looking a bit out of sorts from a lack of having anything to do. "I wouldn't mind, really!"  
  
"I suppose I could use some help on preparing the salad!" Sati replied, good naturally, still chuckling at the boy's banter. "You've relaxed for most of the day, which is good, but I guess old habits *are* hard to break! I don't want to hear anything about helping with the dishes, after dinner, though! All right?"  
  
"Of course," Kasumi said, rising from the table. "Perhaps I'll watch some television after dinner, then!"  
  
"Works for me," Sati said, then grinned devilishly. "Or, you could always go up on the roof and... watch the sunset with Ranma?"  
  
Sati snickered softly at the contemplating expression that suddenly appeared on Kasumi's face, before turning back into the kitchen and caught sight of the calendar on the wall.  
  
^Shit! The full moon is tomorrow night!^  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 7 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
Author's Notes: Look people, if some of you don't like this fic then I suggest you turn around and get the hell out of here and let the people who do like it read in peace! 'Cause there is no reason to read it if all you're going to do is flame me!  
  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
  
Meanwhile, across town, a young man in his early-twenties walked down the street, pausing occasionally to ask individuals for directions, or to flirt with an attractive young lady that had caught his eye. He was about six-foot even, with wavy dark-brown hair and ebony eyes. From the way the young man was dressed, one would think he was a big fan of the movie character Indiana Jones. He wore a khaki shirt with a dusty brown leather jacket over it, a pair of brown slacks that looked well worn, and a pair of scruffy brown boots. But instead of a beat up old fedora, as Dr. Jones would wear, he had wrapped about his head a wide strip of white cloth, upon which a prayer of some kind had been written in red kanji. On his right hip he had an almost antique .45 Colt revolver holstered, which everyone assumed was a prop for his costume, while at his left hip and thrust through his belt, was a katana, which many would have been very surprised to learn had been inlayed with silver.  
  
Eventually, he arrived at his apparent destination and after staring at the relatively immense estate, in comparison to the surrounding properties; he entered through the gates and made his way up to the large house itself. Arriving before the large doors of the house, he brusquely pounded upon them for a bit, somehow completely missing the little button and speaker mounted into the wall to one side and then waited for someone to respond from within. Finally, after three more repeated beatings upon the very solid doors, they opened in response.  
  
"Ma-master Taeko?! What are you doing here?" Sasuke, the long-suffering, yet faithful, Kuno ninja retainer asked. To which the young man merely sneered down upon his cousin's servant before responding.  
  
"I am here to see my cousin! Now be quick, and inform him that I am here!" Taeko stated, rudely shoving his way past the small ninja and entering the house uninvited. Sasuke muttered a quick, "Hai!", as he disappeared into the house to find his master. Shortly, Tatewaki Kuno arrived to greet his cousin.  
  
"Taeko? What are you doing here?" Tatewaki asked, grimacing a bit at his cousin's choice of apparel.  
  
"Not even so much as a 'Hello'? Really Cousin, I'm here on business, hunting down another of those demonic 'werewolves'. This one has managed to keep herself from my grasp, but I have learned that she has made her way here." Taeko explained, as Tatewaki led him into the large living room of the Kuno mansion. "I felt that since it's been a while since I have last been in the area, that you could help me and show me where everything is." Taeko flopped down in one of the couches and promptly propped his booted feet up in front of him upon a very expensive coffee table.  
  
"Indeed, Cousin!" Tatewaki said, nodding. "One should know one's hunting ground, thoroughly, before beginning the 'Hunt'. And I would be remiss in not aiding you in your honorable pursuit of such demonic spawn. Verily, the Kuno Clan shall rid the world of such creatures, in time. And mayhap, we will also have the good fortune of ridding myself of the foul sorcerer Saotome and freeing my loves from his nefarious spells."  
  
^Am I the one sane member of this family?^ Taeko pondered, rolling his eyes at Tatewaki's speech. Aloud he said, "But, not tonight! I've traveled quite a distance, in a short time, and I think I shall rest for a bit!"  
  
*****  
  
Nabiki looked up from her computer screen as a tapping noise reached her ears. She raised an eyebrow when she noted Sasuke, hanging upside-down, outside her bedroom window and holding a folder in his hands. She took the folder and glanced at the contents, realizing that it was the information she had for on one 'Taeko Kuno'.  
  
"Took Kuno-baby long enough to get this for me," Nabiki muttered, as she took a small envelope from her purse and handed it to Sasuke, who promptly disappeared, intent upon returning to his master with the photos of Ranma-chan and Akane.  
  
{{Tap tap tappity tap tap}}  
  
"Yo, Nabiki! Supper's ready!" Sati's voice called from the other side of the middle Tendo daughter's bedroom door.  
  
"Hai!" Nabiki called back, putting the folder into her desk drawer. Locking the drawer, she hurried out of her room and headed downstairs to see what the werewolf had fixed for them this time. Sati, as it had turned out, was quite an accomplished cook.  
  
*****  
  
The following day, which was a Sunday, Ukyo finally reopened her restaurant, having returned from visiting her sick relative the night before. As there was no school today, she knew that it would be a busy day, and she was proven right... if not exactly in the way she had anticipated. It was just as the lunch-rush was ending that Akane came stomping into her shop, which caused the last few hangers-on to rapidly finish their meals and leave, quickly. All of Nerima knew that it was hazardous to one's health to remain in the vicinity of an irritated Akane Tendo. If it had been an irritated Nabiki Tendo, their health would have been one of their least worries, as their wallets and reputations would have been in jeopardy.  
  
"What's up with you, Sugar?" Ukyo asked her sometime rival/friend as Akane took a seat at the counter.  
  
"That PERVERT is spending FAR too much time with that... HUSSY!" Akane growled.  
  
"Ranma-honey's spending time with Shampoo?" Ukyo asked, pulling out her battle spatula and preparing to go make some Amazon Okonomiyaki.  
  
"Not that hussy. That demonic succubus, Sati!" Akane angrily snapped, causing Ukyo to blink in confusion and then groan in exasperation at the likely explanation of what Akane was implying.  
  
"Don't tell me *another* fiancee has appeared!"  
  
"No, but with that pervert, it doesn't really matter! They're probably making-out, like a couple of rabbits, since I'm not there to keep an eye on them!" Akane snarled as she stood from her stool and stomped her way back out of Ukyo's shop.  
  
^It could just be Akane being her overly-jealous self. No need for me to worry about Ranchan!^ Ukyo thought to herself. ^Heck! Akane even admitted that this 'Sati' person wasn't another fiancee!^  
  
A few moments later, after leaving instructions with Konatsu to clean up the restaurant and get it ready for the dinner rush, Ukyo was rapidly making her way to the Tendo Dojo. She needed to check things out for herself.  
  
*****  
  
Ranma had no idea what was about to happen, as he silently sat on the porch looking out over the garden. For some reason he couldn't understand, he wasn't feeling... right! In fact, he felt kind of antsy and on edge, as if... as if he were holding a live electrical wire in his hands. He was tense, every muscle taut and ready, but... why?  
  
He'd snapped at Akane that morning, after she'd awakened him in her customary manner with a bucket of ice-cold water. Then he, at the time *she*, had managed to easily avoid Akane's mallet, something he'd never really tried too hard to do in the past, and then she'd really laid into the other girl, verbally, even though she'd desperately been fighting off the urge to actually *hit* Akane.  
  
Ranma had been rather disturbed by his violent reaction to what Akane had done, and while he'd managed to control the urge... it had still been present. Was he losing control? Was he becoming a danger to those around him? He'd avoided unnecessary contact with everyone since, but even now... he was tense, agitated. It was taking nearly all of his control just to remain seated and stop himself from pacing like a caged animal. Which is probably why he never detected the figure silently and skillfully creeping up behind him from the shadows.  
  
"BANZAI!!!" Sati yelled, as she pounced from the shadows and roughly tackled the younger boy about the waist. Both of them sprawled out on ground as they fell off the porch, and while Ranma felt that he was nearly bursting with excess energy, his every muscle wound taut, Sati was still faster. Even as Ranma began to kick himself up onto his feet, Sati was upon him, attacking his exposed and unguarded ribs with strong, yet nimble, fingers.  
  
"ACK! NO! Auntie! Stop!" Ranma yelped, trying desperately to get away from Sati and her tickle attack. To no avail, as he began laughing uncontrollably, wriggling about on the ground and still trying to get away. In the doorway to the dojo stood Ryouga, who just watched the two figures roll about in the yard. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten inside the dojo, since he'd been looking for the kitchen, but right now that wasn't on his mind. He just wished he'd had a camera right about now.  
  
Meanwhile, Ranma had managed to finally get away from Sati, and her nimble fingers, and launched his own tickle attack in reprisal, which quickly degraded into a wrestling free-for-all. When the dust finally cleared, so to speak, Ryouga really began to laugh. Sati and Ranma were virtually nose-to-nose, with Sati on top, her legs entwined with Ranma's, and with her holding his arms above his head, effectively pinning him in place.  
  
Akane would have literally blown a gasket, if she'd been present to witness their positions. So would Ranma's other fiancees, no doubt.  
  
"This isn't funny, *P-chan*!" Ranma growled from his position beneath Sati, still struggling a bit to free himself.  
  
"Ye-yes it is! Bwahahahahaha!" Ryouga managed to get out as he held his stomach, his face beginning to turn red from his struggles to hold in his laughter.  
  
Sati untangled herself from Ranma, and releasing her hold upon his arms, crawled off of him, allowing him to sit up. Giving him a conspiratorial look, a wink and a nod in Ryouga's direction, she held up a hand and wiggled her fingers. Ranma just grinned and nodded. Then both of them leaped at the laughing teen, causing the fanged-boy to squawk in surprise, as he was subjected to a double-tickle-attack from two sides. In no time at all, there was a three-way free-for-all taking place all over the Tendo's garden.  
  
"Ahem!" someone said, clearing their throat, loudly.  
  
The roughhousing trio came to a halt, in a rather undignified and embarrassing position... if one were to have a pervert's mind-set, that is. Sati had Ryouga in an inverted headlock, which just happened to press his face into her bosom, while Ranma's head was trapped between her strong thighs, facedown into her crotch. Not too surprisingly, her own children would be all too willing to attest, Sati had been winning their impromptu wrestling match against both boys.  
  
"Heh heh heh. Uh... Hiya, Ucchan!" Ranma said, his face turning red now from embarrassment, rather than exertion, as Sati released her leg-lock on his head and he realized how things might have appeared. Especially, with where his face had just been.  
  
*****  
  
"So, let me get this straight, Sugar. She's a *werewolf*, was the *old woman* who brought you out of your *Neko-ken* that first time, and helped raise you for a couple of years?" Ukyo asked pointing a finger at Sati as the other female sipped her tea. The four of them had moved into the main room of the house, sitting around the table, and where partaking of the tea Kasumi had thoughtfully provided, while Ranma tried to explain his *Auntie* to his friend and fiancee. Ukyo had heard, as had Ryouga, about the Neko-ken and the story behind it as well, even if neither had seen it for themselves, yet. Ranma could not keep the secret of the seemingly teenage girl beside him from his *best buddy*, so with the go ahead from Sati, he had told her about Sati's being a werewolf. "That's a pretty wild story, Ranchan. Even for you!"  
  
Sati chuckled from her spot at the table. "Well, seeing as the sun is going down in a couple of hours, I suggest you stick around and see for yourself." 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
By: USA Tiger  
Chapter 9  
Ranma sat back from the table with a satisfied sigh, and once again complemented the eldest Tendo daughter on a most excellent evening meal. His contentment, however, was fairly short-lived as he couldn't help but notice the suspicious glances that Ukyo would occasionally send in Sati's direction. Well, at least they were better than the openly hostile and jealous glares that Akane was giving her.  
  
Still, the abundant amount of tasty food seemed to have temporarily taken the edge off of the tension that he had been feeling for most of the day, although it hadn't completely disappeared. And the wrestling/tickling match between himself, Sati and Ryouga had also seemed to help a great deal. He was still a bit on edge, and felt as if he needed to do something... anything... just to be doing something, but at the moment, the feeling wasn't as strong as it had been before.  
  
Soun and Genma had immediately moved back to the shoji board as Kasumi cleared the table, and Ranma found himself watching her graceful movements with greater intensity than ever before. Kasumi really was a very attractive young woman, with a lithe and mature figure that exuded both grace and beauty without even trying. He found himself becoming fascinated with the gentle sway of her hips beneath her conservative dress as she walked and the subtle bounce of her ample busom, before his eyes were drawn elsewhere.  
  
^How the hell did I ever mistake her for another boy?^ he wondered, his gaze zeroing in on Ukyo's shapely posterior, encased in her form-fitting tights, as she rose from the table to join Akane and Ryouga over near the television. He noted her long legs, the gentle flaring of her hips, her narrow waist and the subtle swelling of her surprisingly large breasts beneath the concealing thickness of her okonomiyaki seller's outfit. ^Heck! Akane's built more like a boy than Ukyo!^  
  
Speaking of Akane, Ranma's eyes drifted over to his most volatile fiancee. Even after all this time, he didn't know what to make of her. She could be unbearably cute one moment, and downright intimidating the next. Actually, when she wasn't smiling, she was really rather plain, now that he compared her looks with the others in the room. Sure, her face could be extremely cute in appearance, when she wanted to be that is, but... Okay, so she wasn't anywhere near as flat-chested as he often accused, but she wasn't nearly as well-endowed as any of the other girls in his life. And her waist was a bit broader than one would have expected, giving her a more masculine appearance from behind, when she wasn't wearing a skirt. And her rather short legs, in comparison to the others, were almost entirely densely packed muscle, even more so than Kodachi, a gymnast, whose legs had been thickened and shaped through long gymnastics practice. Overall, with the exception of the occasional bouts of excessive cuteness, Akane wasn't nearly as physically attractive as the others. And yet... there was something that still drew the eye...  
  
"Well, I've got some reading to do," Nabiki announced, rising from her own place at the table. "I'll be in my room, if you need me!"  
  
Ranma's eyes darted from Akane to Nabiki as she rose, immediately noting the comparatively larger size of her breasts beneath her sheer white blouse, which he surprisingly noted weren't being restrained with a bra. He'd never really noticed before just how rounded and firm they appeared, despite there size. Almost against his will, Ranma found his gaze traveling down her body as she rose and turned towards the hallway, noting her tiny waist and slender hips, which seemed to sway with an unconscious and sensual movement. His gaze continued further south, noting her gently rounded thighs, long legs, well-formed calves and rather small feet, before rising once more to her bottom. Nabiki had always seemed to favor shorts, often very tight and extremely short ones, and today had been no exception. They seemed almost molded to her rather high, very firm, and well-rounded petite little bottom.  
  
Ranma flushed, and squirmed in his seat, as his body began to react to the sight of Nabiki's swaying backside, but he couldn't seem to pull his gaze away until she was out of sight. Desperately, he prayed that no one had noticed his body's betrayal, or where his gaze had been riveted. Unfortunately, someone had noticed, but fortunately for Ranma it had been Sati, who had actually been watching him carefully and expecting this kind of reaction from him.  
  
"Come on, Cub." Sati announced, finally rising from the table herself and reaching out to pull him up to his feet, but also turning him to face away from the others, thus helping to conceal something that would have caused him no end of embarrassment... and possibly a considerable amount of physical pain. "You and I really need to talk about a few things!"  
  
"Hey!" Akane barked, and thus drawing the attention of the others. "Where are you two going?"  
  
"Just up on the roof." Sati responded without looking back, pushing Ranma out onto the porch. "We need to talk about some things, and I won't have time for it later tonight."  
  
"So? You can talk with the baka just as easily in here, as on the roof!" Akane growled, starting to rise.  
  
"Sit down, Cub!" Sati growled, baring her teeth in warning. "His fiancee you may be, but that doesn't give you the right to listen in on private conversations, or poke your nose where it doesn't belong. If Ranma choses to tell you what we talk about, that is his decision to make, not yours! And I would strongly advise everyone else to mind their own business, as well!" Sati concluded with a hard look at all of the others, giving clear indication that she wouldn't tolerate eavesdroppers.  
  
"Ranchan's my fiancee, as well," Ukyo felt compelled to say, reluctantly deciding to back Akane this time. "Anything that affects my Ranchan, I consider my business!"  
  
"Fiancee?" Sati asked, now with a noticeable growl to her voice. "Or property? There is a difference, and I suggest the two of you think about that, as no one likes to think of themselves as being 'owned' with no right to any privacy of their own. And I find it rather disheartening that neither of you even seemed to consider Ranma's feelings on the matter. In any case, as I said, if Ranma chooses to tell you of what we discuss, that is his decision, but... it is 'my' decision that our talk be held in private! And I don't take kindly to people sticking their noses in my affairs! They have the annoying habit of losing said appendage!"  
  
*****  
  
"Was it really necessary to threaten 'em like that, Auntie?" Ranma asked as he leaped onto the roof after her.  
  
"Hmpf! If they had their way, you wouldn't have any privacy at all, Cub!" Sati explained, walking over to a certain section of the roof before sitting down and motioning for Ranma to join her. "You've written to me often enough, about how they're all continually sticking their noses into your affairs. Just because they're your fiancees, doesn't grant them the right to take control of your life. Remember that! Everyone needs privacy, *especially* in any kind of serious relationship, such as an engagement!  
  
"Granted, the kind of relationship you're involved in with all these girls implies a sharing of 'private' secrets, but..." Sati continued as Ranma sat down beside her, "it is the knowing and *willing* revealing of those same secrets that is one of the foundations to a truly loving relationship. It's a declaration of trust, if you choose to reveal something to one of them, and 'trust' is the very cornerstone of any relationship. To forcibly impose themselves into one of your private conversations, to force you into revealing things you'd rather keep to yourself, is not a sign of trust, but of a desire to maintain their control over you and to use your secrets against you."  
  
"Sounds a lot like Nabiki," Ranma snorted. "She's always sticking her nose into everyone else's business and then using what she learns to make money and control everybody!"  
  
"Smart girl!"  
  
"Oh, she's that alright!" Ranma chuckled. "Not that I can really blame her for what she's been doing. After all, she's the one that keeps all the bills paid, and keeps food on the table. It's just so... embarrassing, at times!"  
  
"Yes, you've written about a few of her more... embarrassing endeavors to earn money for her family," Sati chuckled. "And truly, she could have done so, in a less... callous way. Still, from your description of events, you were just as responsible for the resulting embarrassment, as she was. Really, Cub, you need to learn some restraint, patience, and social skills. Not to mention stop jumping at every so-called 'cure' for your Jusenkyo curse, without first learning all of the pros and cons involved."  
  
"I can't help it!" Ranma snapped. "I *hate* turning into a girl!"  
  
"Really?" Sati asked. "Do you really 'hate' turning into a girl? Or is it the fact that you can't control when it happens that you really hate?"  
  
Ranma didn't immediately respond, thinking it over. He had to admit, there had been times when he had actually enjoyed being a girl, such as when his mother was visiting and they worked together in the kitchen. He'd never be able to do something like that if he hadn't had the curse, and while he always complained about it in front of others, the time he'd spent as 'Ranko' shopping with her 'Auntie Saotome' had also been enjoyable in its own way, and again it was something they couldn't have shared otherwise. Even so, if it hadn't been for the constant anxiety of his curse being revealed before his mother...  
  
"You're right, Auntie!" Ranma finally sighed. "It's the lack of control I hate! I could probably live with the curse, if I could control it, somehow!"  
  
"It's something to think about," Sati sighed. "But, your curse isn't why I needed to talk with you, in any case. What we need to discuss is far more serious and of more immediate concern."  
  
Ranma simply raised an eyebrow in unconscious imitation of Nabiki.  
  
"Ranma, I didn't come here just to visit, or to avoid some werewolf hunter," Sati began. "I had a very good reason for seeking you out, at this time."  
  
"Don't tell me Pops really did engage me to you?" Ranma asked in a serious tone, but with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.  
  
"No, no. Nothing like that," she replied, laughing lightly. "Although, the thought isn't without its appeal. You're quite handsome, strong and, judging from the bulge you developed in your pants while staring at Nabiki's backside, quite handsomely endowed, as well."  
  
Ranma blushed scarlet, and adjusted his position a bit, to better conceal the remaining evidence of his earlier arousal.  
  
"Auntie!" Ranma whined.  
  
"Really, Cub! You haven't got anything to be embarrassed about," Sati chuckled, as she watched the boy squirm. "I'm sure Nabiki would be flattered to know that she was able to get such a response from you, whereas the other girls didn't. In any case, while I might go for a tumble or two with you, I'm not currently looking for another mate."  
  
"Then, why did you come here?" Ranma asked, hoping to divert the conversation away from his present... condition.  
  
"Well..." Sati paused, struggling to find the right words. "As a werewolf, you can probably guess that my sense of smell is a lot better than a human's, right? Werewolves have even better senses of smell than bloodhounds."  
  
"Makes sense!" Ranma agreed, wondering what she was getting at.  
  
"In fact," she continued, "we can tell a great deal from a person's, or animal's, scent. Their overall health, where they've recently been, and so on. We can even tell who their parents are, just from their scent and the scent of their parents."  
  
"And?" Ranma hesitantly asked, when Sati didn't continue, but suspecting what she was going to reveal. After all, he might not have been the smartest kid on the block, but even he wasn't oblivious to the fact that he looked nothing at all like his supposed father. And neither Genma, nor his mother, had his blue-grey eyes, which had to have come from one of his parents. "Let me guess, Genma's not my father, is he?"  
  
"No... he's not," Sati agreed. "Not biologically, anyway! But, I'm guessing that you already knew that, or at least suspected, right?"  
  
Ranma sighed.  
  
"I'd always hoped that I wasn't related to him, especially whenever his stomach, or stupidity, got us into trouble, but... I never had any real reason to suspect that he wasn't my *real* father," Ranma explained. "Then, in Biology Class we learned about genetics and recessive genes and stuff. Neither Genma, nor Mom, have eyes like mine, which means that Genma isn't my real father."  
  
"Think you might have been adopted?"  
  
"It's possible, I suppose," Ranma sighed. "Although, everyone says my girl-form looks a lot like my Mom, only younger. I just have a real hard time thinking of Mom as having been with someone other than Pop, ya know?"  
  
"She may have taken a lover *before* she married Genma," Sati stated, trying to salvage Ranma's opinion of his mother's apparent lack of faithfulness towards her legal husband. "Actually, judging by what I've seen of Genma, it would explain how that man could get someone to marry him!"  
  
"So you think Mom was already pregnant with me, when she married Pops?" Ranma asked, thinking about it. Then, chuckled. "Well, it certainly answers *that* question! I never could understand how someone like Mom could ever marry a deadbeat lowlife like Pop! If she didn't find *someone* to marry, she'd have been dishonored by havin' me! But then... who *is* my real father?"  
  
"Only your mother would be able to answer that question," Sati sighed. "And she would be, understandably, reluctant to answer. Especially, if she has allowed Genma to believe himself to be your biological father!"  
  
"I'm not even sure if I should even ask her about it," Ranma admitted. "It wouldn't change anything, anyway! I'd still be Ranma Saotome, legal son of Genma 'Mr. Panda' Saotome."  
  
"I think you should, Ranma," Sati said softly, and prayed to the spirit of her first mate. ^Seto, please let him take this well.^  
  
"Why? It's not likely that I'd ever run across my real father, or that I'd even want anything to do with him, if he was the type to get Mom pregnant and then dishonor her by not marryin' her." Ranma stated.  
  
"I think you should ask her about your real father, Ranma, because..." Sati paused, and sent up yet another prayer. "Because you're not *fully* human!"  
  
"What?" Ranma asked, after a *long* pause.  
  
"You're a werewolf, Ranma," Sati explained. "But not a full-blooded one, a half-breed! One of your parents, most likely your mother, was human, but... your father was a werewolf! If it had been your mother, I find it extremely unlikely that she would have waited this long to tell you of your heritage. I could smell what you were all those years ago, when we first met, and it's why I'm here now. To help you through your first transformation and to answer as many of your questions as I can."  
  
"A werewolf? Me?" Ranma said, more than a little stunned at the revelation. As if his life wasn't already a complete mess.  
  
"You're not mad 'cause I've kept this from you, until now, are you?" Sati asked with some trepidation. "I would have told you, years ago, but you were too young to fully understand and I wasn't going to be around to answer your questions. Still, I've kept in touch, and sought you out to explain things when the time came."  
  
"No. No, I'm not mad... not really. I mean, it's just another bit of weirdness to add to my crazy life," Ranma sighed, wondering how this was going to effect him... and the others.  
  
For a time, they sat in companionable silence, watching the sun begin to set. Sati knew that Ranma needed some time to think about what she'd said, and was more than willing to grant him all the time he needed.  
  
"Auntie?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You said... when the time came?" Ranma asked. "My first... transformation? It's... It's going to happen soon, isn't it? That's why I've been feeling... weird, all day, right?"  
  
"Yes. Although, you won't transform this full moon; I can tell from your scent. It's normal for a half-breed, like yourself, to not come to their first transformation 'til their late teens. Even so, I almost didn't get her in time. Feeling like a live wire, a caged animal, is pretty normal for all of us Were, just prior to a full moon. I'm nearly two-million years old, and right now it's all I can do to sit still." Sati explained, getting to her feet and stretching.  
  
"Why won't I... transform this full moon, if I'm feeling just like you?" Ranma asked, also getting to his feet.  
  
"Ranma, did you feel like this at the last full moon?" Sati asked, then continued when he shook his head. "It's sort of the body's way of telling you that's it about to change, that it's reaching maturity. At the next full moon, the feelings will be even stronger, as your body reacts to the moon's cycle. Believe me, Cub. I've had four kids of my own, the three youngest were males and half-breeds themselves, I know what I'm talking about!  
  
"For now, though," Sati continued, looking to where the sun was disappearing beneath the horizon, "I think we should return to the others. The moon will be rising soon, and we need to get everyone together."  
  
"Umm... A-Auntie?" Ranma hesitantly asked, uncertain about how to ask his next question. Or if he really even wanted to ask it.  
  
"Yeah, Cub?" Sati asked, looking back over her shoulder at him.  
  
"About... well... the way I, uh... reacted... earlier... to Nabiki... I mean," Ranma struggled to say, blushing profusely. "Is, uh... that part of the change? I mean, is it normal? I've never..."  
  
"Never really noticed a girl *sexually*, you mean?" Sati asked with a broad grin, as Ranma became even redder in the face. "Don't worry about it, Cub! It's perfectly normal. Young males often don't even recognize females as members of the same species, until they begin to approach their first transformation. And then..."  
  
"And then?" Ranma asked, not feeling all that comfortable.  
  
"Let's just say that the girls had best watch out!" Sati chuckled. "You're becoming an *adult*, and being young, you're beginning to feel the need for a mate! Perfectly normal, as I said! Of course, werewolves tend to be a bit more... aggressive, in their relationships, than mere humans."  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Like I said, don't worry about it," Sati chuckled, glancing in the direction of Nabiki's open bedroom window. "You won't *force* yourself on any of them, but... if they should *tease* you too much, they just might get more than they bargained for! Unless, of course, that was their intention from the beginning!"  
  
*****  
  
Nabiki eased back from the window, trying to sort through what she had just overheard. Ranma was a werewolf? Like Sati? And he wasn't Genma's son?  
  
Well, it would certainly explain a few things. Such as why Sati was here in the first place, rather than in hiding from the hunter that was certain to be coming after her. On one thing the report of Taeko Kuno had been explicit about... like his cousin, Tatewaki, Taeko just didn't know when to quit, and he would go to extraordinary lengths to accomplish his goals, be it chasing a girl, or a werewolf. Unless, of course, he were to become distracted with yet another pretty girl, or another werewolf.  
  
Still, the question remained, what to do with this new information? If anything? Oh sure, she could sell the information to various interested parties, but... would the profits outweigh the damages that would certainly result? Did she want to get on Ranma's bad side, let alone Sati's, by using the information as 'blackmail' material? Was there really any profit in it?  
  
Of course, no matter what she decided to do with the information, if anything, with Ranma's near complete lack of privacy and his inability to lie with a straight face, it was only a matter of time before the whole of Nerima knew all about his secrets. She was rather surprised that a horde of Demon Hunters hadn't already appeared on their doorstep seeking to attack Sati, as Akane had made no attempts, whatsoever, to keep quiet about their houseguest's unusual heritage.  
  
And then, there was Sati's references to Ranma's maturing sexual interests, and his apparent complete lack of interest in that regard before now. She'd often wondered how Ranma had managed to avoid the traps laid out for him by such willing and physically attractive girls, like Shampoo and Kodachi. She never had been able to understand how he could be so sexually naive as he appeared. But now, it made a weird kind of sense.  
  
And, if she'd heard correctly, Ranma had become *aroused*, for possibly the first time in his life... by her! Not by the sex-kitten, Shampoo. Not by the sultry, yet maniacal, Kodachi. Not by his 'best-buddy', Ukyo. And definitely not by her overly-tomboyish younger sister, Akane. But, by herself, Nabiki, the Ice-Queen of Furinkan High. The girl voted most likely to never have a date, unless she paid for an escort or blackmailed some poor schmuck into it!  
  
^Hmm... Sati all but said that Ranma would be becoming more 'aggressive' in his dealings with the girls...^ Nabiki pondered, mentally picturing a more assertive and masculine Ranma. More... wolfish! And, more sexually aware!  
  
Nabiki's thoughts began to drift off into images of what Ranma might appear like in a hybrid werewolf form. And shortly a decidedly hentai smirk began to appear on her face as those images became ever more... explicit. Especially when she considered the fact that Ranma may not have been as enamored with her younger sister, as she had originally believed.  
  
*****  
  
"All right, everybody, it's almost moonrise! I need all of you in the dojo, please!" Sati called out. "Ranma, could you go and tell Nabiki to come out to the dojo, as well?"  
  
"Sure, Auntie," Ranma said, heading upstairs.  
  
"Why do you want us all out in the dojo?" Akane asked, not really wanting to leave her position in front of the television, but nevertheless getting to her feet. Taking Ryouga by the hand, she began to lead him out to the dojo.  
  
"I've something to show you," Sati responded, smirking at the way Ryouga was allowing Akane to lead him along, a somewhat giddy look on his face. "And there's more room in the dojo for everyone to see it!"  
  
"I'm still not convinced that you're a werewolf," Ukyo stated, heading for the dojo as well. "And I didn't appreciate the way that you implied that I didn't take Ranma's feelings into consideration when you dragged him up on the roof to talk!"  
  
"Did you?" Sati asked, not expecting a reply, and not getting one.  
  
Shortly, everyone was inside the dojo, save for Ranma and Nabiki, sitting along the wall. When Ranma and Nabiki finally appeared, Sati couldn't suppress a knowing smirk when she noted that Nabiki had changed clothes. She'd replaced her blouse with a form-fitting t-shirt and her previously tight shorts with a pair of cut-off jeans that bordered on indecent, being as tight and short as they were. Sati also noted that Nabiki was making a clear effort to remain directly within Ranma's field of view and seemed to be placing a bit more sway into her hip movement.  
  
^Poor boy!^ Sati silently chuckled, struggling to keep her laughter in upon seeing Ranma's expression. He was desperately trying to ignore Nabiki's antics, but his eyes kept darting in the direction of Nabiki's shapely derriere. ^Oh well, he won't be that way for much longer! I just hope I've read that girl correctly, and that she can keep up with him, when his time comes upon him!^  
  
Glancing outside, Sati noted that she still had a few minutes before moonrise, and she used the time to once again contemplate the girls in Ranma's life. She hadn't met Kodachi, yet, and she hadn't really spent any time around Shampoo or Ukyo, but Ranma had certainly written enough for her to get a fair idea of how they stood in his eyes.  
  
Kasumi, being the eldest of Ranma's admirers, didn't really seem to have a 'romantic' interest in him, and Ranma had readily admitted in his writings to viewing her like an older sister, or substitute mother figure. Nabiki was a constant source of irritation, frustration, embarrassment, and... enticing mystery, and Ranma's writings on her had always been tinged with more than a little respect. As for Akane, Ranma's writings had been filled with attraction, frustration, sadness, and vexation. Sati wondered if the young girl even had a clue as to how deeply she had hurt Ranma when she had all but withdrew her initial offer of friendship and refused to extend him the slightest hint of trust.  
  
Ukyo, had been his first and best friend but, whether the girl knew it or not, she had tarnished that friendship and continued to place a strain upon it, by insisting that Ranma was her fiance, regardless of Ranma's own feelings on the matter. Shampoo was on even rockier ground, lacking the earlier friendship Ranma and Ukyo had shared, and like the others, ignoring Ranma's feelings. Ranma had left no doubts, whatsoever, as to his feelings in regards to the girl named Kodachi... she all but terrified him.  
  
"Well?" Akane growled, interrupting Sati's thoughts, having grown impatient after only sitting beside Ryouga for all of five minutes. A whole two minutes after Ranma and Nabiki entered the dojo.  
  
Sati sighed in frustration, as she glanced once more into the night sky, noting that the moon was beginning to rise about the horizon. That girl was really beginning to get on her nerves with her constant anger and sniping.  
  
"I called all of you out here, 'cause I think it's important for you to see this," she stated, feeling the growing moonlight tugging at her senses, growing stronger by the moment. "Now watch."  
  
Everyone watched raptly as Sati stood in the growing moonlight in the dojo entrance, even Genma, who had witnessed this all before. Then, several gasps were heard, as the moon fully rose above the horizon and dark-grey fur started to sprout all over Sati's body. She fell forward onto all fours as her legs and arms began to alter shape, and her ears seemed to flow upwards upon her head, becoming more triangular in form. Several faces within the dojo grimaced, as Sati's face and head became distorted, shifting into that of a wolf, her muzzle tipped with a black nose pad and adorned with a rather impressive amount of sharp teeth. Her dark-brown hair seemed to be absorbed into her new body, and her clothing simply vanished before a large bushy tail sprouted from her backside. Within the space of only a few seconds, Sati had been replaced with a very *large* grey-furred wolf.  
  
"Wow..." Nabiki said after a few moments, pretty much conveying the sentiments of nearly all the others who'd never seen the transformation before. For her part, Akane was repulsed, and unconsciously moved a bit closer to Ryouga, although she'd vehemently deny that she was even the least bit unnerved by Sati's transformation. Jusenkyo curses were one thing, but this... it was 'unnatural', as far as Akane was concerned, an affront to, and perversion of, Nature itself.  
  
"Oh my! What a lovely wolf!" Kasumi said, earning a disbelieving look from Ukyo, who was struggling to make sense of what she'd just witnessed. Sure, she'd witnessed several Jusenkyo curse transformations, but this... it was just *too* weird! At least the Jusenkyo curse transformations were nearly instantaneous and you didn't have to see the body actually shifting into another form.  
  
Sati-wolf slowly walked back and forth in the entrance, allowing everyone a good look at her full-wolf form, which was nearly as large as a small horse, before casually strolling over to Nabiki and bumping against her with her now massive head, knocking the girl over. Nabiki shrieked and giggled, as Sati took advantage of the exposed skin of Nabiki's midriff, her too small t-shirt having ridden up when she fell over, to press her cold, wet nose against Nabiki's exposed belly, forcing Nabiki to roll away and onto her feet.  
  
"What?" Nabiki asked, watching Sati-wolf carefully, as she lay down upon her belly before her and swing her massive head towards her back. "You want me to get on your back?"  
  
Sati-wolf nodded, and looked at the other girls present, before repeating her gesture.  
  
Nabiki shrugged her shoulders and carefully climbed onto Sati's back, surprised at the softness of the dense grey fur. Kasumi walked over and took up a side-saddle position behind Nabiki, who's slender waist she held onto. After a bit of thought, a quick glance in Ranma's direction, Ukyo took up a position behind Kasumi, lending the older girl further support. Akane merely sniffed and turned her face away. Sati looked to Ryouga, and indicated that he too was welcome to ride upon her back, but he just shook his head, smiling softly at the girl's now obvious delight at riding a wolf.  
  
Moving carefully, Sati headed out of the dojo and gave the girls a short ride about the yard, even breaking into a short, but smooth, loping run at one point, which resulted in several squeals of girlish delight. She then elicited a shriek or two, when she jumped over the koi pond, before heading back inside the dojo. Both Kasumi and Ukyo were giggling as they climbed off of Sati's back, and Nabiki, equally in good spirits, climbed off of Sati's back with obvious reluctance.  
  
Once she'd unloaded her passengers, not having missed Nabiki's reluctance to end her ride, Sati moved out into the center of the dojo and quickly shifted into her hybrid-form. To the surprise of several, her clothing reappeared, as well.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Sati asked, turning about with a wolfish grin.  
  
"That was so cool!" Ukyo said, having enjoyed the ride immensely, to which Kasumi heartily agreed.  
  
^I could easily get used to riding wolf-back,^ Nabiki thought, smiling broadly, recalling the feel of Sati's soft fur and the play of her muscles as she moved. Casually, she sent a speculative look in Ranma's direction, before returning her attention to Sati. "Not bad, got any other tricks up your sleeves?"  
  
"Not that I'm willing to reveal at this time, Cub." Sati responded with a grin, beginning to walk towards the entrance of the dojo. "Well, now you've seen what I can become on night's with a full moon, and I doubt that any of you have any further doubts as to my claims of being a werewolf."  
  
"No..." Ukyo admitted, looking a bit sheepish. "No more doubts!"  
  
"Good," Sati said. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I've got a dinner date with an old friend."  
  
"But you just ate?" Akane stated.  
  
"That's still no reason to be rude," Sati responded, stepping out into the yard. "Besides, I didn't eat that much, and I *did* accept Cologne's invitation. So, catch ya later!"  
  
And with that, Sati bounded over the wall and headed off in the direction of the Nekohanten. 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
  
By: USA Tiger  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Sati bounded across the rooftops toward the Nekohanten, making good time, and soon sighted her destination. Noting the closed sign in the front window, she made her way around to the side alley delivery entrance and rapped brusquely upon the door, quickly ducking inside when the door opened.  
  
"Good evening, old friend!" Sati said cheerfully, bowing respectfully to the Amazon Elder as she turned about from re-locking the door. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I'd have come to the front door, but..."  
  
"I'm just happy to see that you could make it. Although, I also see that my timing was a bit off on the moon's cycle." Cologne responded, chuckling, as she took note of Sati's rather furry condition. Returning a respectful nod, Cologne then motioned for Sati to follow and led her through the kitchen into the living area at the back of the restaurant. "Well, at any rate, it's long past time for my Great-Granddaughter to see her first true Werewolf, and to learn that her Elders are not just making up tall tales in an attempt to frighten irresponsible young warriors."  
  
"She has never seen a werewolf before? The last I heard, there were at least three full packs in continuous operation throughout that region of China! And that's not even taking into consideration lycanthropes of other types." Sati commented.  
  
"Oh, she *has* met a few before, unknowingly, and only while they were in human form. Until now, of course, there wasn't any real reason for her to learn the truth of your kind's existence." Cologne pointed out.  
  
"Ah, that is a good point."  
  
The two friends sat down at the table where the food had already been set out, and Cologne called out for Shampoo to join her at the dinner table. A moment later, the bubbly teen Amazon came bounding the stairs.  
  
"Great-Grandmother, is your friend here... AIYAH! A Wolf-Demon!" Shampoo cried as she caught sight of Sati. Instantly, she produced her bonbori from sub-space, assuming a ready stance and prepared to attack the 'demon' when Cologne stopped her.  
  
"Shampoo, stop! This is Sati. She is not a 'Wolf-Demon' as you put it." Cologne informed her heir, causing Shampoo to freeze in place and glance questioningly at her, while keeping Sati within her sight. "Sati is a Werewolf. And yes, they *do* exist. You've met a few of her kind before, even if you didn't realize it at the time. So put your weapons away and sit down. Our dinner is getting cold."  
  
Shampoo cautiously returned her bonbori to storage within her sub-space pocket, before making her away around Sati to her own customary seat at the table, looking over Sati's hybrid form with intense interest the whole time. Unlike the hideously deformed and ugly werewolves in those weird gaijin movies that Shampoo had snuck into occasionally, she found that the densely furred female seated at the table, and returning her appraisal calmly, was actually rather attractive, in an odd sort of way. Her feline instincts, which she'd acquired with her Jusenkyo curse, however, were screaming 'PREDATOR' and advising *extreme* caution. Still, her great-grandmother had invited this... 'woman' to dinner, and seemed totally unconcerned of any potential threat from her, so Shampoo offered a tentative and nervous "Nihao!" in greeting.  
  
^I didn't realize that the nickname I ended up giving her would be so true.^ Shampoo thought to herself, finding her gaze drawn almost hypnotically to the woman's slowly swishing bushy tail, as her great-grandmother and Sati began talking of the past and catching up on each other's many adventures since they'd last met.  
  
{{CLANG-CRASH}}  
  
"What in the--" Sati began, reverting back to Japanese, startled as much as the others at the sudden *loud* noises coming from the kitchen area. Then she had no further time for any words, as she found herself dodging numerous chains, many of which were tipped with spear-points, that suddenly emerged from the kitchen doorway.  
  
"Don't worry Shampoo! I'll save you from that evil creature!" Mousse yelled, emerging from the kitchen with a sauce pan upon his head, as he continued to hurl weapons at said creature. Sati, who had by now guessed the identity of her attacker, simply continued to dodge everything Mousse was throwing at her, waiting for her host to deal with the interloper.  
  
"MOUSSE! STOP THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE!" Cologne ordered, dodging herself, as several daggers flew in her own direction. The only thing preventing her from killing the boy, for attempted murder of an Amazon Elder, was the fact that Mousse wasn't presently wearing his glasses and was now sending various bladed weapons and chains throughout the entire room in an attempt to injure Sati.  
  
"STUPID DUCK-BOY! SHAMPOO NO NEED SAVING!" Shampoo yelled at her unwanted and highly annoying suitor as she advanced on him, fully intending to vent some of her frustrations upon him. Unfortunately, Mousse suddenly retracted some of his chains, the ends of which had become embedded in the dinner table, and ended up flipping the table over and pulling it into the air. Normally, this would have simply resulted in Mousse catching said table full in the face, but... for whatever reason, Cologne had decided upon *iced*-tea to accompany dinner, and the large pitcher, naturally, emptied its contents unerringly upon the only two Jusenkyo victims in the room.  
  
"You've overstepped your boundaries, once again, Mousse!" Cologne growled, digging through the remains of the destroyed dinner, the overturned table, and Mousse's robes, to yank out an angrily quacking white duck by the neck. "Perhaps a few days in your cage will teach you better manners than to attack one of my guests?"  
  
"My word, Shampoo, don't you make a cute little kitty-cat," Sati chuckled as she helped the nekofied Shampoo out of her wet clothing. Lifting the white and lavender cat to her chest, Sati began scratching her head and about the ears, which quickly elicited contented purrs of pleasure from the nekofied young Amazon.  
  
"I am sorry about that, Sati! Mousse gets rath--" Cologne said as she returned from the kitchen, only to stop speaking upon catching sight of what was occurring. Like any other cat, Shampoo was taking full advantage of the opportunity for a good scratching and had twisted around in Sati's arms so that Sati was now scratching her chest and tummy, and she was purring a mile-a-minute in blatant pleasure. Lifting an eyebrow at the scene, and suppressing a chuckle, "Enjoying yourself, Great-Granddaughter?"  
  
If cats had been able to blush, Shampoo would have turned a bright red at the moment.  
  
*****  
  
Ranma had returned to the roof of the Tendo residence after Sati had left for her dinner with the Old Ghoul, and was now lying on his back staring up at the full moon. He was thinking about the stuff she'd told him, about Genma not being his biological father, that he wasn't entirely human and that he would soon be changing, becoming a werewolf like her.  
  
In a weird way, it kind of made sense, and helped to explain a few things about himself that he'd noted were different from other people, such as his unusually fast rate of healing injuries. Oh sure, Genma had often attributed that ability to Ranma's advanced chi-manipulation techniques. However, Genma had never instructed Ranma is any such techniques, at least none that actually pertained to healing, and Ranma had possessed the ability for as long as he could remember. Granted, the more mastery over his chi that he acquired, the faster he would heal, but even as a young child Ranma had noted that he healed faster than other kids, with scratches and bruises healing completely in only a few hours, whereas other kids with similar injuries would take days to heal.  
  
He *really* wished that he could talk to his mother, as himself. If Genma wasn't his real father, then who was? Why hadn't she married him, instead of Genma? Had she known that his father was a werewolf? Too many questions, and no way of getting any answers, because of that damned Seppuku pledge.  
  
^Stupid Pops... Can I even really call him 'Pops' anymore?^  
  
Legally, Genma Saotome was still his father, but now that he knew for a fact that the panda wasn't his sire, it felt weird to call him 'Pops'. Granted, Sati could have been mistaken, or feeding him a line of bull, but... why would she? And besides, he'd already had his own doubts about his true parentage. But... a Werewolf? Him? And yet, he couldn't deny that something was happening to him and no other explanation for his... anxiety... had presented itself. Looking to the moon once more, he concluded that he'd just have to wait for the next full moon, before making any kind of decisions concerning his parents.  
  
Shelving those thoughts, Ranma's mind turned to another, more pressing and more imminently disastrous problem... the girls. And his sudden interest in them, as something other than distractions from the Art.  
  
Ranma knew that he wasn't the most knowledgeable of young men when it came to sexual matters. Far from it. On the other hand, he wasn't as utterly clueless as many believed him to be, either. Sure, he'd experienced the legendary 'morning woody', lots of times, and he knew, intellectually, generally what sexual intercourse would entail, including the likely results... namely, babies. And yet, until just recently, he had felt no desire whatsoever to act on his limited knowledge with any of the girls in his life. Heck, he'd never even masturbated, in either form. Now, that was changing, as evidenced by the erection he'd attained earlier.  
  
^And somehow... Nabiki knows!^ Ranma silently cursed, recalling all too vividly the way she had sashayed before him, down the stairs, through the house, and out into the dojo. He'd seen those shorts of hers before, and they sure as hell hadn't been that short previously, all but leaving her bottom fully exposed. He didn't have a clue as to where she'd gotten the T-shirt though, and it had fit her torso like a second skin, leaving no doubt in his mind that she was fully aware of his gaze upon her. He'd just been amazed that no one in the dojo had commented on what she'd been wearing... or the large bulge in his own pants that he'd been desperately attempting to conceal.  
  
While Ranma had never actually made any comparisons to other boys his age, he was by no means a stranger to seeing an erect penis. Far more often than he cared to think about, he'd been splashed with cold water in the locker room at school, and quite a few of the lustful boys about had become erect while looking over his naked female form. And while he'd never really given it any thought at the time, he was now somewhat concerned to realize that his own erection was considerably larger than most of the ones he'd seen, as this raised the question... was he *too* large?  
  
^There's sure as hell no way to hide it when it gets hard, that's for sure!^ Ranma mused, which was precisely the problem. Now that he was beginning to notice girls, sexually, and considering his fiancees normal behavior around him, especially Akane's... ^Yep! I'm gonna be dead before the next full moon! That, or married, or married and hauled off to China, or raped, or... Oh, I am *so* dead!^  
  
*****  
  
~Crap, crap, crap!~ Sati muttered, in English, under her breath as another silver bullet whizzed past her head, impacting the corner of the building she raced around.  
  
Sati had left the Nekohanten not long after Mousse had ruined the dinner, although they'd nearly finished by then, and had an open invitation to return at any time, which she fully intended to use. She wanted to see how well Cologne had trained her great-granddaughter, as Ranma had been quite willing to state that, of all the girls, Shampoo was the closest to him in skill. Unfortunately, on her way back to the Dojo, Taeko had managed to catch her by surprise, since she had decided to walk at street-level rather than roof-hop, as there hadn't appeared to be too many people out and about to notice her.  
  
^Shit! I thought I would have more time before he showed up!^ Sati silently fumed, jumping to a rooftop once she was certain that she was out of his sight. Peering cautiously back over the edge, she quickly noted that Taeko wasn't alone when he rounded the corner of the building. Going by the descriptions of the local hazards that Ranma had provided her, Sati guessed that the tall boy beside Taeko was the infamous Tatewaki Kuno, samurai-wannabe and all-around pain in the ass. And after listening to him begin a speech about helping his 'cousin' to rid Nerima of the foul sorcerer Saotome's demon, she added 'lousy poet' to the overall description, along with 'tacky dresser'.  
  
^Ranma isn't anywhere near ready to go up against any Hunters, not even a second-rater like Taeko who could get lucky! Ranma's skilled, but not experienced enough to deal with those using firearms!^  
  
~Hmm, what I need is something to keep those idiots busy,~ Sati mused after watching the two run off down the street. Staying to the rooftops, Sati continued her journey back to the Tendo Dojo, mulling over this new problem. Her amber eyes seemed to light up from within though, as an idea occurred to her and elicited a chuckle. ~Something... or *someone*! Heh! Looks like I need to make a phone call.~  
  
*****  
  
Somewhere in New York, in the United States...  
  
A cell phone started to ring to the tune of {{Click-Click-Boom}} while sitting on the end table beside a couch. Shortly a slender feminine hand, adorned with a silver ring engraved with a small yin-yang symbol, reached over to pick up the little black cell phone.  
  
~Yeah?~ A female voice spoke into the phone. ~Oh, hey Sati, whas up?... Huh? Why would ya want me ta come ta Japan fer?... SAY WHAT!?~ With a sudden lurch, a teenage girl comes into view from where she'd been lying upon the couch, the cell phone pressed to her ear, and immediately tumbles off of the couch to land on the floor with a {{thump}}.  
  
~You okay in there?~ a male voice called from another room.  
  
~Yeah, Dad! I'm fine!~ the girl responded, before returning her attention to the phone. ~Yer telling me dat fuckin' bastard is over where you are?... Hell yeah, I'll come! Payback is a bitch!~  
  
*****  
  
~So, I should see you in the next few days then?... Okay, bai bai.~ Sati hung up the phone in the Tendo's hallway, a smug look on her face.  
  
"Who was that, Auntie?" Ranma asked as he entered the hallway, on his way up to his room, preparing to call it a night.  
  
"Oh, just a friend from New York. Let's just say that you can expect a rather unusual visitor pretty soon." Sati responded, before heading towards her own little room.  
  
Kasumi stuck her head out of the kitchen, curiously. "Oh, will we be having another houseguest?"  
  
"Nah. If I know Jasper, she'll make her own living arrangements." Sati responded over her shoulder, grinning in anticipation of things to come.  
  
********** 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
  
By: USA Tiger  
  
Chapter 11  
  
A few days later, after the nights of the full moon had passed, Ranma and Akane were heading down to Ukyo's restaurant. Luckily for the residents of Nerima, it was one of the few times that the gender-bending boy and the violent tomboy (even if she wouldn't admit it) were getting along. In this moment of relative peace, the pair of teens had both decided that some okonomiyaki would make an excellent afternoon snack. And despite their rivalry as fiancées, even Akane would readily admit that Ukyo made very good okonomiyaki. Upon arriving at their destination, however, both could easily hear the sound of raised voices emerging from within and they quickly rushed thru the entrance of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki to assess the situation.  
  
As it was well past the lunch hour, and the dinner rush had yet to begin, it was no surprise that the interior of the restaurant was almost completely empty of patrons... save for one, seemingly. Standing at the counter, and almost nose-to-nose with an obviously irate Ukyo, was a rather oddly dressed gaijin girl of about their own age, maybe a little older. She stood around five-foot-eight, with a slender build, a slightly pale complexion, and a mop of messy brownish-black hair with uneven bangs, the right side reaching down to her jaw, while the left side stopped just below her left eye.  
  
The girl's clothing was definitely strange, almost looking as if the various parts of her outfit had been chosen at random from a pile of discards. Much like Sati, when she'd first arrived at the Dojo, the girl wore a black, long-sleeved, fish-net undershirt, over which she was wearing an odd dark-red collarless blouse, perhaps a little too small for her as the two buttons which had been fastened to cover her modest bust appeared to be under some strain and the blouse did nothing to cover her flat stomach. The sleeves of the blouse ended just below her elbows, and like the bottom edge of the blouse, which only extended to her waist, were adorned with an inch-long black fringe and upon the left breast of the blouse a black-and-white Tao patch had been sewn on. Baggy, well-worn blue-jeans adorned her hips and thighs, the legs of which appeared to have been torn off, more or less evenly, just below her knees, and the Chinese character for Yang had been boldly embroidered onto the right front thigh in crimson-red thread. And finally, to finish off her strange ensemble, were darkly-stained tan work boots, large hippie-style sunglasses, and fingerless black-leather gloves with iron-studded knuckles.  
  
"Look, I already told yas, all I want is fuckin' directions to dis place. I'm not some--"  
  
"I don't wanna hear it!" Ukyo interrupted, snarling, and looking as if she was about to jump the counter and tackle the other girl. "I ain't giving you any directions, and I strongly advise you to forget all about going there and just go home! You'll have a much healthier and longer life!"  
  
"Hey, Ucchan!? What's goin' on?" Ranma called out, rarely having seen his best friend this upset with anyone not engaged to him.  
  
"Nothin', Ranchan," Ukyo replied, never taking her eyes off of the gaijin girl, but backing off and clearly making an effort to calm herself. "Merely a disagreement with a *departing* customer."  
  
"I don't need ta deal with dis crap. I'll find someone else ta tell me how ta get dere," the girl muttered, slapping a few yen onto the counter before striding over to one of the booths and retrieving a black-leather messenger bag with a large Yin-Yang symbol on the flap. Bag in hand, the girl then strode right up to Ranma and Akane, before growling, "Ya mind?"  
  
"Huh?" Ranma intelligently responded. There had been something about the way the girl had moved that had reminded him of Sati for some reason, but he couldn't seem to put his finger on it. And now that she was practically standing right in front of him, her scent was also bringing Sati to the forefront of his thoughts.  
  
"Idiot! We're blocking the door!" Akane growled, sharply jerking him out of the way by his arm and further into the restaurant.  
  
"Hey, watch it! That's attached ya know!" Ranma grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. With Akane's brute strength he was mildly surprised that she hadn't dislocated his shoulder with her violent jerk.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Akane growled, ignoring him and causing Ranma to look back at the gaijin girl where she'd remained standing. He noticed that her nostrils were flaring slightly, and there was a puzzled expression on her face as she looked back at him. Then she seemed to take notice of Akane's belligerent expression and stance, snorted loudly and walked out of the restaurant.  
  
"What the heck was that all about, Ucchan?" Ranma asked, walking up to the counter and sliding onto a stool, Akane doing the same.  
  
"You probably don't want to know," Ukyo responded, before quickly taking their orders and starting to prepare them.  
  
"Not *another* fiancée?" Akane growled, giving Ranma a glare.  
  
"That, or a challenger," Ukyo responded. "She never gave Ranma's name, or even mentioned the Saotomes, but she said that she was here looking for some 'Playboy' and asking for directions to the Tendo Dojo. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she's looking for you, Ranma-honey, what with all the girls you seem to attract."  
  
"I ain't no 'Playboy'," Ranma muttered. "And I never asked any of you girls to come after me!"  
  
"Yeah, right, Ranma," Akane snorted. "Either her family had made an agreement with your father, or you did something to insult her or something."  
  
"I ain't never seen that girl before in my life," Ranma said in his own defense.  
  
"With your memory for faces?" Akane snidely responded. "I'm surprised if you can remember anyone that you haven't seen in over a week."  
  
"Ha ha, very funny!" Ranma responded, before digging into the okonomiyaki Ukyo set before him.  
  
"In any case," Ukyo said, quickly cleaning off her grill and strapping her battle-spatula onto her back, "I think we should get over to the Dojo and ask Genma a few questions about that girl. Don't you?"  
  
"Definitely," Akane responded, setting down her own okonomiyaki after only a single bite, before grabbing a hold of Ranma's arm and dragging him off his stool. "Let's go!"  
  
"Hey!" Ranma protested, lunging back to the counter long enough to grab the second okonomiyaki Ukyo had prepared for him. "I haven't finished eatin' yet!"  
  
*****  
  
"Whoa! Check it out!" Ranma called, as the trio of teens arrived at the Tendo Dojo. Parked out front, next to the gate, was a large, black-and-red, Honda dirt bike. By itself, the motorcycle wasn't in any way unusual, as street-legal dirt bikes were far from uncommon in Japan, as they were far less expensive than their strictly street oriented counterparts. This particular model of dirt bike, however, was one of the largest currently on the market. And the sticker on the fuel tank, from one of the larger rental agencies in Tokyo, was an indicator that whoever had current possession of the vehicle was likely able to easily afford actually owning one, rather than just renting one.  
  
Akane barely gave the Death Machine a cursory glance, and she snorted at the way Ranma was looking it over with blatant interest. A couple of years ago, Akane had tagged along with Nabiki and some of her... associates, on an outing in the country, and a trail ride on dirt bikes had been a part of the trip. She'd almost been killed just kick-starting one of the infernal machines, and within minutes had totally demolished the thing, having fallen off when accidentally popping a 'wheelie' and sending the dirt bike careening over the nearby ridgeline into the rocks below. All she'd gotten out of that little fiasco had been some embarrassing bumps and bruises, and an intense hatred of the overly-complicated all-too-sensitive contraptions. Of course, it hadn't helped in the slightest that Nabiki had seemed to have a talent for handling a motorcycle, and had teased her ceaselessly for months afterward.  
  
"Forget it, Ranma!" she snapped as he'd been about to climb onto the motorcycle. "You can dream all you want to about owning a motorcycle of your own, but they're far too complicated for someone like you. Besides you could never save up enough money to actually buy one, and even if you did, there's no way I'll allow one of those things in *my* home."  
  
Ukyo quickly took notice of the frown that appeared upon Ranma's face at Akane's declaration, and grinned internally. Several times over the years, she'd overheard conversations between newly married women and older, more experienced, married women that had been giving the younger women marital advice, and one of those gems of experienced wisdom had been to never get between 'boys and their toys'. The younger women didn't have to like it, share in it, or even approve, but if they wanted a successful and long marriage, then they'd have to let their husbands indulge themselves upon occasion. But never, ever, outright deny them. That was a fast lane to marital discontent.  
  
On the flip side, if the newly married couple could share the same interests, so much the better. And another reason not to dismiss them out of hand, as Akane had apparently just done.  
  
As for herself, Ukyo didn't really have anything for or against motorcycles, just considering them another form of transportation. In fact, she'd been considering the purchase of a scooter to help with some of her more distant deliveries. In light of Ranma's interest, however, she began considering the possibilities of a small motorcycle instead, and decided to look into a motorcycle magazine subscription or two. Just so Ranma could have another reason to visit her shop more often.  
  
"I wonder whose it is?" Ranma commented, having returned his attention to the motorcycle. Then, a somewhat hopeful expression crossed his features. "You don't think Nabiki conned it offa someone, do ya?"  
  
"I doubt it," Akane said, her own expression dubious. If Nabiki had gained ownership of the thing... Akane wasn't looking forward to the teasing and taunting that would inevitably follow.  
  
"Guys? We still need to talk to a certain panda..." Ukyo said, not wanting to waste any more time, as she had to get back to her restaurant soon for the dinner rush.  
  
"Right," Akane agreed, thankful for the change of subject, and led the way into the house.  
  
*****  
  
"You!" Ukyo growled as they stepped into the main room of the house, only to find the gaijin girl from earlier seated at the table.  
  
"Yeah, me. Since ya didn't give me directions, I had ta get 'em from dis nice old lady wit' a ladle," the girl responded with a frown.  
  
Before anything else could be said, by anyone, Sati emerged from the kitchen with a tray of snacks and treats, followed by Kasumi with a tray containing the ever ready teakettle and cups.  
  
"Oh, I see you've met Jasper," Sati commented, placing her tray on the table and sitting beside the girl.  
  
"Yeah, we've met." Ukyo growled, being echoed by Akane. "She came into my place, asking for directions here. Well, you can forget it! Ranma's *my* fiancé, and you can't have him!"  
  
"Hey!" Akane snapped, glaring at her rival. "*I'm* the one engaged to him! Not like anybody'd want the jerk!"  
  
"Who's..." Jasper began, more than a little confused, only to be interrupted by Sati who'd seen the opportunity for some harmless mischief.  
  
"Jasper! You didn't tell me you'd gotten engaged!" Sati squealed, hugging the smaller girl. "Does your father know? Oh, I can't wait to see his reaction to this!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Jasper gasped, wondering just what the heck they were all talking about. "I ain't..."  
  
"So, I was right!" Ukyo snarled, drawing her battle spatula from it's holster across her back. Beside her, Akane dropped into an offensive stance.  
  
"HOLD IT!" Jasper barked, jumping to her feet and facing down the other two girls. "I ain't engaged ta *nobody*! An' who's dis *Ranma* character, anyway?"  
  
"Yo," Ranma responded, giving her a small wave from where he'd quickly taken a seat across from Sati, who was struggling to contain her mirth, and began helping himself to the tray of snacks and some tea.  
  
Jasper just blinked back at him for a moment, before glancing at the two other girls, then back to him. "You're engaged ta *both* of dem? I didn't tink polygamy was legal in Japan?"  
  
"It isn't," Sati chuckled, reaching up to pull Jasper back down beside her and waving for Akane and Ukyo to sit down as well. "Anyway, this is Jasper MacTavish. Jasper's *not* another of Ranma's *many* fiancées, you two. At least, not yet. She's a friend of mine, that I asked to come here to help me with a few things. Jasper, these are Akane Tendo, Ukyo Kuonji, and Ranma Saotome."  
  
"Just how many fiancées does he have?" Jasper asked curiously, before leaning over to whisper into Sati's ear. "And why does his scent smell both male *and* female?"  
  
"I'll let Ranma explain his *fiancée* situation," Sati grinned, rising from the table. "As for your other question, seeing is believing."  
  
Ranma groaned, his increasing sense of hearing having easily allowed him to hear Jasper's whispered question about his scent, and knowing that Sati was intending to demonstrate his curse. He'd also finally identified what it was about Jasper that had been reminding him of Sati... Jasper was another werewolf. It was the only reason he could think of for the similarity in their scents and movements. Still, he didn't like showing his curse to others, as it embarrassed him, but... he supposed Sati had her reasons for letting Jasper in on it.  
  
"Well, if she's not a fiancée, and I don't see the panda around..." Ukyo said, rising from the table. "I'm headin' back to my place."  
  
"Catch ya later, Ucchan."  
  
"Bye, Ukyo."  
  
"So..." Jasper began, after Ukyo had left. "Just how many girls ya stringin' along?"  
  
"Hey! It ain't like that!" Ranma protested.  
  
"Yes it is!" Akane said, earning a glare from Ranma as she rose from the table. "I've got some homework to do. Call me when dinner's ready. Oh, and Ranma, don't forget to tell her about your boyfriends, too."  
  
Ranma could only growl at Akane's retreating back as she left the room laughing. Looking back to Jasper, he found her waiting for him to say something, one eyebrow arched in question.  
  
"It's all my stupid Pop's fault," he said with a heartfelt sigh.  
  
Jasper merely shifted which eyebrow was elevated and continued to sit quietly.  
  
Sati returned from the kitchen, complete with the expected glass of cold water, which she set before him before resuming her seat beside Jasper.  
  
"Perhaps, if you told her something about yourself, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, refreshing everyone's tea, before heading back to her kitchen.  
  
With another long-suffering sigh, Ranma launched into the story of his life.  
  
*****  
  
"Man, that is one screwed up life," Jasper commented, pondering the social ramifications of mixing some whiskey into her tea, as Ranma finally wound down. Hmm, maybe she should offer some to the poor boy... er, girl. She sure sounded like she could use it.  
  
"So," Ranma said into the ensuing silence, "since yer not another of my fiancées, what brings ya to Nerima, Jasper?"  
  
"I asked her to come, Cub," Sati said.  
  
"She was the person you called the other night, right?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Yes. Jasper here, like myself, is another werewolf. I asked her to come for two reasons, actually. First, I thought it would be better if you had another Were around, closer to your own age, to help you to understand things as they change, as you approach your first transformation. And then, help you to adjust, afterwards. Second, I need her to keep someone... annoying, busy for a time." Sati explained.  
  
"Who?" Ranma asked, frowning.  
  
"A Werewolf Hunter." Sati replied. "Someone you're far from ready to face. I was trying to put a stop to his hunting, while I was in Romania. Transylvania, to be more precise." From beside her, a low, rumbling growl emerged from Jasper.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Ranma asked curiously.  
  
"Let's just say, I don't have any good memories o' dat fuckin' place," Jasper responded.  
  
"Oookay," Ranma responded, taking the hint to drop the subject, before returning her attention to Sati.  
  
"Anyway, I didn't get the chance to finish the job there, as I felt that helping you with your first transformation was more important." Sati continued. "If it's not handled correctly, it could easily turn bad. Very bad. Especially for those around you."  
  
"How so?" Ranma asked, nervously.  
  
"The first change is always the worst, especially in those who weren't even aware that they were Weres," Sati explained. "The more... bestial instincts, are strong. Almost overwhelming. If you're not prepared for them, they can leave you as little more than a very powerful, very dangerous, animal, that will act upon those instincts without regard for the consequences of those actions."  
  
"Like...?" Ranma asked, not really all that certain she wanted to know.  
  
"If dere's someone ya don't like nearby," Jasper jumped in, "you'll attack 'em, an' rip 'em limb from limb. If yer hungry, you'll hunt, an' ya won't be all dat particular 'bout *what* ya hunt, kill, an' eat. An' if dere's a *fertile* girl 'round..." Jasper paused, looking over Ranma's presently very female form, "...or a *strong* guy ya find attractive, if you undergo your first transformation while female..."  
  
Ranma visibly paled at that, and made a vow, right then and there, to ensure that during her first transformation that there wasn't a drop of cold water *anywhere* in the vicinity.  
  
"That's the worst case scenario," Sati said. "The real danger, however, is psychological, in those cases. Often, once the Were reverts back to human-form, and they were unprepared for what occurred, their minds refuse to accept what they'd done. So... much like your Neko-ken, they deliberately forget everything that occurred. A sort of self-induced amnesia. Until... the next full moon, at which time their bestial instincts take over again. And, since they refuse to accept what they've become, the cycle repeats itself, over and over. Reducing them to the same level as the Cursed variety of Lycanthropes." Sati didn't bother to mention the ones who *did* remember, but who had reveled in their new powers, believing themselves unique and all but all-powerful gods. Those individuals were hunted down by the various clans of Were, almost as zealously, if not more so, than the others.  
  
"But... uhm... if I *know* it's gonna happen... and... uhm..." Ranma stammered, seriously concerned about the potential loss of control of her own body and actions, which, for a martial artist of her level, was unconscionable.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Cub," Sati said, smiling to lighten the mood a bit. "That's why I'm here, and Jasper'll be here as backup. A few precautions, a little preparation, and your first transformation will go without a hitch."  
  
Jasper gave Sati a sidelong look. While she'd never actually been present at a first transformation, other than her own, she was fully aware of what all was required. Surely Sati wasn't considering *her* for that particular role, or doing so herself? Sure, the guy was handsome and all, but she wasn't presently on the market for a boyfriend, and Sati, herself... well, maybe... Still, that particular role was usually reserved for someone close to the individual, if any were available. And the guy had to be close to at least *one* of the various girls pursuing him, didn't he? Of course, there was Ranma's female-form to take into consideration, as well. If Ranma underwent his first transformation in that form... Hoo boy! That would be a real mess!  
  
"Okay..." Ranma sighed, confident that Sati had everything under control and planned out. Then, her mind made a few connections between Sati's earlier comments and her physical state upon arriving at the Dojo. "Say, Auntie... the person who shot you... they wouldn't be... is that who Jasper will be taking care of? They followed you here?"  
  
"Don't even think about it, Cub," Sati growled warningly, having noted Ranma's tone turning protective. "As good as you are, you're not ready to face down even the weakest of Werewolf Hunters. Not yet, at least."  
  
"Hey! I can take any--" Ranma's prideful boast came to a sudden halt, as she felt something cold and unyielding pressed right against her forehead. Eyes crossing slightly, she could just make out the shape of the large revolver Sati had in her hand, and the fact that the hammer of it was at full-cock.  
  
"When I think you can anticipate, and avoid, a bullet, then and only then will you be ready to face off against a Hunter... Got it?" Sati growled.  
  
"Uhm... Yep," Ranma said, releasing a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding when Sati removed the firearm from her forehead and promptly made it disappear.  
  
"Cub... Ranma," Sati sighed, rubbing her own forehead, "you have to understand something. Martial arts are all well and good, and will serve you well, but... they won't save you from a determined Hunter with a fully-automatic firearm. Yes, you could train to the point where you can actually catch a bullet, but... when you have a Hunter firing a machinegun at you... which bullet do you catch? Even as good as I am, that bastard managed to put two bullets in me, and if I didn't have a strong resistance to silver... I wouldn't be here now."  
  
"Well, what about her?" Ranma asked, pointing at Jasper.  
  
"Jasper is... special, in certain ways," Sati said. "For one, she's immune to the affects that silver has on the rest of us. And she's been in a few gun battles before, not that I expect such to occur. In any case, what we should be discussing are the upcoming preparations for your first transformation, and what you can expect to happen."  
  
Meanwhile, in the kitchen...  
  
"Ranma's a werewolf?" Kasumi asked, turning to face Nabiki who'd recently returned to the house.  
  
"That's my understanding, Sis," Nabiki responded, helping herself to a cookie from the plate on the counter. "Well, he will be, anyway. I haven't been let in on all the details yet."  
  
"Does Akane know? And the others?" Kasumi asked, a concerned look on her face.  
  
"No, and we're not going to tell them, either," Nabiki stated, looking her sister straight in the eye. "Daddy probably wouldn't care, so long as the schools were still joined. Akane would freak. And I don't even want to think about what the others might do."  
  
"But Nabiki, as his fiancée, Akane should know about this," Kasumi said. "And Father, as well..."  
  
"Kasumi..." Nabiki sighed, a bit of frustration evident in her voice. She'd done a lot of thinking on the subject of her younger sister and Ranma, and looking over past events in a different light. "Akane may very well be Ranma's fiancée, but don't continue to delude yourself into thinking that they'll ever marry, or that they love each other. Care for each other, yes. But they don't *love* each other."  
  
"But that's not true," Kasumi protested. "Ranma's rescued Akane numerous times, and fought for her. And despite what Akane might say, she knows that he hasn't done anything with those other girls. And there's the honor of both families to consider."  
  
"Genma Saotome broke the 'honor' agreement with our family," Nabiki stated coldly, "when he agreed to engage Ranma to the daughters of other families. Daddy just refuses to see that. And the fact that his agreement with *Uncle* Saotome is the oldest, so far as we know, is completely irrelevant. And as far as what Ranma's done for Akane... Can you look me in the eye and tell me that Ranma *wouldn't* have done the same for any of the other girls, or anyone for that matter, if they had been placed into similar situations?"  
  
Kasumi looked down to where her hands were nervously wringing her apron, and remained silent.  
  
"I didn't think so," Nabiki sighed, before continuing. "Look, they like each other, but neither will trust the other enough to let their guards down. And without that trust, love simply cannot exist. You know that. Ranma's made some attempts to open up to Akane, and even be nicer to her, but... what did he get for his trouble? Suspicion, or outright hostility when Akane jumped to some outlandish conclusion before he could finish talking, or... they were interrupted. And I'll admit that I haven't been all that helpful in that respect. Quite the reverse, actually. And there's also the fact that Akane hasn't even made an attempt to do anything similar."  
  
"She just doesn't want to risk possible rejection," Kasumi said softly.  
  
"And you think Ranma wants to?" Nabiki asked in turn, a bit more acidly then she'd intended. "That's one of the problems with you and Daddy. You're both all too eager to make *excuses* for Akane, and her behavior. She'll never grow up and learn that the world won't bow to her every whim, until you and Daddy stop sheltering her from everything that might even remotely harm her. As it is now, she's in for some *very* rude awakenings when she graduates from high school and goes off to college... and neither of you'll be there to protect her, then. And my influence can only go so far."  
  
"But, surely Ranma..." Kasumi began.  
  
"Is that his purpose in life, Sis?" Nabiki asked, gazing upon her sister in concern. "To replace you and Daddy? To be her bodyguard, scapegoat, and punching bag for the rest of his life? To make excuses for her violent behavior? Ranma has his own problems to deal with, Sis. A fact which everyone seems to blithely ignore. Gods, I'm continually amazed at the fact he hasn't completely flipped out and killed anyone yet, myself included. I certainly haven't made his stay with us a pleasant one."  
  
"Hmm, yes, I had been rather curious about your behavior towards him," Kasumi said thoughtfully, while looking at her younger sister. For her part, Nabiki suddenly turned and reached for another cookie.  
  
"Let's not get off the subject, shall we," Nabiki said, turning back to face her sister, only after she was certain of controlling her expression. "The fact remains, it would be a bad idea to tell anyone about what we now know. If Ranma, himself, chooses to do so, well... we'll deal with that when and if it occurs."  
  
"Of course, Nabiki," Kasumi said, a knowing smile spreading across her face. "I'm sure you're right. You're only suggesting what's in Ranma's best interests, after all. That's very kind of you."  
  
"Yeah, well, I have a reputation to maintain, so don't tell anyone," Nabiki said, a little nervous about the smile on Kasumi's face. It didn't *quite* match her usual seemingly oblivious one.  
  
"Of course not, Nabiki," Kasumi said, turning about and opening the refrigerator. "Do you suppose MacTavish-san will be staying for dinner?"  
  
"You'll have to ask her, yourself, Sis," Nabiki responded, feeling a sudden chill up her spine. "I've got some homework to finish up. Call me when dinner's ready, okay?"  
  
*****  
  
Later that night, Ranma jumped onto the roof, hoping to enjoy a little peace and quiet before going to bed. It appeared, however, that he wouldn't be alone, as Sati was already there.  
  
"Hey, Auntie. Come up here to get away from the glare fest, too?" he asked as he sat down beside her. Dinner had been a rather tense affair that evening. Somehow, Akane had managed to get into the kitchen and attempt to cook something. What it had been intended to be, he didn't have a clue, but whatever it was, had affected himself, Sati, and Jasper... badly, just from the smell. Both Jasper and himself had become violently ill, and even Sati had looked more than a little green around the gills before she could get whatever Akane had concocted out of the house and far away.  
  
As it was, Jasper had openly accused Akane of attempting to poison them with whatever it had been and, honestly, he hadn't helped matters any with some of his comments about some of her earlier cooking attempts. Akane had spent the entire meal glaring at the three of them, and muttering about how there had been nothing wrong with her cooking and that they just had oversensitive noses and weak stomachs. With dinner over with, however, Jasper would be leaving shortly, having reserved a room at a nearby hotel, but would be returning to the Dojo often until sometime after Ranma's first transformation and she'd dealt with a certain Werewolf Hunter.  
  
"That's one way to put it," Sati agreed as she stretched her legs out. "Though it's mostly because it's a good thinking spot."  
  
"So, what ya thinkin' 'bout?" Ranma asked.  
  
"The past mostly," Sati sighed, gazing up at the stars. "I always tend to think of Seto on star-filled nights like this. He loved to go out into the night and look at the stars."  
  
"...You miss him a lot, don't you?" he asked, noticing that her expression seemed a bit more sad and wistful than her usual.  
  
"You always miss your first love, Cub. No matter how many others may follow, and you *can* come to love others, none of them will be as great, or as deep, a love as the first. That's something you'll come to understand, yourself, if you live long enough." Sati explained, then turned a mischievous look his way. "Of course, you also have to understand the differences between love and simple *lust*. The two are completely different."  
  
"I know that," Ranma scoffed.  
  
"Do you, Cub? Do you really?" Sati asked, before releasing a sigh. "There's a part of the precautions for your first transformation that we haven't discussed yet, or even mentioned... directly."  
  
"What's that?" he asked, curiously.  
  
"One of the strongest *instincts* you'll be subjected to, will be the instinct to mate, and to reproduce," Sati explained. "For most Weres, this isn't a problem, as they undergo their first transformation while quite young. Half-breeds, like yourself, however..."  
  
Ranma was silent for quite some time, while he digested that bit of information. Finally, he was able to manage a few words. "I... I'm not ready to get... m-married..."  
  
"No one said you had to, Cub."  
  
"But... what if... pregnant... honor..."  
  
"Relax," Sati chuckled, "you'll be shooting blanks. You've a few years to go yet, before you'll be ready to get anyone pregnant. Unlike humans, it takes us Were a bit longer to reach sexual maturity. The urge will definitely be there, along with the will and determination, but... nothing's going to result from it. Well, no cubs, at least."  
  
Ranma let out a relieved sigh at that bit of news, but there were other problems. "Still..."  
  
Sati sighed, feeling the urge to go beat up a certain panda. "Ranma, sex does *not* equal love. Nor do you have to love someone in order to feel the urge to have sex with them. All that is required is the urge to have sex, and a willing partner with similar urges. Yes, sexual intercourse *can* be an expression of one's love for another, but... that's *all* it is, an *expression*. I've known many couples, deeply in love with each other, that have *never* shared a single intimate embrace, of any kind, with each other. Some, because they were incapable of the physical act, and others because of other reasons, including marriage to others. When you transform for the first time, *love* is not even going to occur to you, your only interests are going to be food, territory, and... reproduction. The most basic instincts for *all* life, including humans."  
  
When they had discussed their plans for his first transformation, Ranma had quickly grasped the reasons for having a large supply of fresh meat on hand, as well as ensuring that he didn't come into contact with any other males, especially those he wasn't on good terms with. A full belly would greatly reduce the instinct to hunt, and the absence of other males would tend to blunt the instinctual need to mark out his territory and assert his dominance. Both of these basic instincts were already well-known to Ranma, and the only difference, that he could see, would be in their intensity and affect upon him. But... he hadn't even considered something like the instinctual need to... reproduce. Now that he was considering it...  
  
"I... I c-can't stay here... I... I gotta..."  
  
"Easy there, Cub," Sati said, soothingly. "You won't be here during your first transformation. Before that happens, we'll be leaving on a short 'training trip'. It's best to be outdoors, in a forest somewhere, during one's first transformation. We just need to decide on a location, and ensure that we have everything in place before then. Jasper and I will be taking care of most of that, although we'll consider any ideas that you may have as to the location. You, on the other hand, need to find a girl, or girls, that you can trust with the knowledge of what you are, and who would be willing to engage in some down and dirty bestial sex for a few nights."  
  
"Uhmm... do we really need to..." Ranma hesitantly asked. "I mean... we'd be out in the woods, away from everyone else..."  
  
"Jasper and I would be there," Sati said, and gave him a seductive grin. "If you don't want any of the girls around here, or they won't go along with the idea... I wouldn't mind a few tumbles with you. Jasper probably wouldn't either, but I can't say for certain. Traditionally, however, it's someone you're already close to and familiar with, a friend or loved one. All that's really required though, is that they be of the opposite gender, somewhat attractive to you, and capable of bearing young. Trust me, you'll know, instinctively at least, whether they're capable or not, it'll be in their scent. Until I can teach you how to discern that fact consciously though, I'll have to reserve the right to reject any choice you make, if I find them to be incapable of bearing young."  
  
"But... if I can't..." Ranma hesitantly asked, "Why would it even matter?"  
  
"To put it in the most basic terms," Sati explain. "If they're incapable of being impregnated, and not Were themselves... you're bestial instincts would simply label them as 'meat on the hoof', so to speak."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Even if you select a girl that meets the basic requirements, I'm going to have to instruct them on some 'dos' and 'don'ts' of behavior and movement." Sati continued. "On the first night, your behavior will be almost entirely bestial in nature, and you'll respond to stimuli pretty much as any wolf would. The important thing that the girl, or girls, will have to remember in that situation is that you are *not* a wolf, but a werewolf, just as cunning and intelligent as they are, but acting under instincts that overwhelm your usual intellect. So, you won't have a normal wolf's usual wariness of Man, or aversion to such things as fire."  
  
Jasper allowed him to think over what she'd said for a time, noting his concerned and weary expression.  
  
"Listen, Cub," she sighed, resting a comforting hand upon his shoulder, "very little in this world is without its price, or trade-off. And none of us have any say in our parentage. We can only take what life gives us, or throws at us, and make the most of it. As a Werewolf, even a half-breed, you've been given certain advantages over other forms of life; a longer lifespan, better overall health, accelerated healing, increased senses, strength, reflexes and so on. But, you've also been saddled with some notable disadvantages; instincts that can overwhelm your intellect upon occasion, and a vulnerability to silver, just being two. I'll get into all of the pros and cons of being a werewolf at a later time, though.  
  
"Right now," she continued, rising to her feet and brushing off her bottom before moving to the edge of the roof, "you need to start thinking about your first transformation, and if there's any particular girl you trust enough and find desirable enough to let in on the truth of what's happening to you." Sati was just about to leap off of the roof to ground, when she paused, and added, "Oh, and just so you know, at least one member of this household already knows, or at least suspects, if her recent behavior has been any indicator."  
  
Despite what most people may have believed, Ranma wasn't nearly as dense as he often appeared, so it didn't take him long to understand to whom Sati had been referring. What to do about it, though... that was going to take some considerable thought, as well as some thought about the other girls in his life.  
  
*****  
  
"So, I'll trade yas dis little statue for any info ya gots on dat bastard, Taeko, any notable places o' intrest 'round here, people I should be on da lookout for, an' anything else I want ta know 'bout later on."  
  
Jasper and Nabiki were in the latter's room, seated on the bed across from each other and... conducting business. After they'd been properly introduced and got to talking with each other, they'd discovered a great deal in common. Namely, the gathering of information and the acquisition of money. At the moment, Jasper was needing the former, and willing to part with the latter... or at least something just as good as money. Between them, making a noticeable indentation into Nabiki's firm mattress, sat a small statuette of a dragon, only two-inches tall, but seemingly made of solid gold with precious rubies for eyes.  
  
"Where did you get this? And is it real?" Nabiki asked, lifting up the statuette to examine it in closer detail. Just the weight alone, confirmed that it was lead or gold. If it was lead, though, Nabiki determined that it was still heavily plated in gold, which when combined with the detailed craftsmanship, would place the value, in American dollars, in at least the triple-digits.  
  
"Hell, yeah! If dere's one ting I know, it's m' treasure. I got dat whilst I was in Europe, explorin' dis ol', fallin' down castle. Had a lot o' good shit in dere, too. I walked outta da place wit' five full bags," Jasper boasted, a proud smirk on her face. "I can say dat m' boss was *very* happy wit' what I brought 'im. So, do we have a deal?"  
  
Looking over the statuette again and weighing it in her palm, Nabiki came to the conclusion that even if it was a fake, she was still getting a bargain.  
  
"Alright, we have a deal," Nabiki said, rising from her bed and stepping over to her computer. A few moments later, and the attached printer began spitting out sheet after sheet of information on all of the major players in Nerima, local hotspots, and a copy of the file on one Taeko Kuno that she'd gotten from Sasuke and scanned into her system. A tourist booklet on Nerima, which included a map of the area with the hotspots already highlighted and labeled, completed the transaction.  
  
"Tanks. Now I gots ta be headin' off. I've got a long night in front o' me, an' I ain't even had a shot o' whiskey yet," Jasper said, placing the folder of printouts into her bag and heading out, leaving the Tendo Mercenary to savor her newest possession.  
  
********** 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.  
  
A Werewolf in Nerima  
  
By: USA Tiger  
  
Notes: Sorry this took so long but me and my editor was havigna bit of a problem is this characters and i had to keep writeing parts of it but here it is finally.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"Therio-what?" Ranma asked, blinking her blue eyes at Sati. She, Sati and Jasper were walking thru the Nerima marketplace. At the moment the eldest of the three was trying to explain a bit more about the different types of Were, mostly about the type Ranma was going to end up being. The three were speaking softly and in low tones so as to not draw undue attention to themselves. After all, if you appeared to be whispering and making an obvious effort not to be overheard, then someone was definitely going to be curious enough to find out what you obviously didn't want them to know. Speaking normally, on the other hand, even if softly and in low tones, would simply tend to indicate a private but relatively unimportant conversation that would just blend into the background of a multitude of other such conversations around them.  
  
"Theriomorph, Cub," Sati repeated in a patient voice, it seemed Ranma had a bit of a hard time grasping this at the moment. Of course, she was trying to cram all of this information, and there was a lot of it, into the teen's head in less than a month's time. It was a lot to take in. "It means changing from human-form to animal-form, or hybrid-form, and then changing back on your own, without external stimulus such as chemicals, radiation, or even magic. All basic Shapeshifters are Theriomorphs really. Even your Jusenkyo curse is a type of Theriomorph, since the actual magic involved in your changing genders is internal, a part of you, rather than external. In fact, your curse is almost identical to a Theriomorph Lycanthrope whose change is subject to the phases of the Moon... the magic causing the change of forms is internal, but requires an external stimulus to trigger it. Plus, despite how you may appear to the casual observer, there will almost always be something... different about your human-form that will set it apart from 'normal' humans."  
  
"You mean like the whole enhanced senses thing?" Ranma asked, stopping briefly in front of an ice-cream vendor's stall to gaze upon the creamy, sweet, cold goodness displayed so invitingly.  
  
"That's part of it," Sati agreed with a chuckle, deciding to indulge Ranma's 'sweet-tooth', especially after noting that Jasper was displaying a similarly hungry expression, and purchased them a cone each, including one for herself of course, as she too possessed a bit of a 'sweet-tooth' of her own.  
  
"Haven't ya been noticin' da changes in yer looks?" Jasper finally broke in, reaching out to lightly tap one of Ranma's ears. "Yer ear is startin' ta point. It's one of da tings that marks a werewolf in human-form. See?" Jasper brushed aside her hair, showing that her own ear was more 'pointed' than should have been on a human. Turning to Sati, Ranma watched as she brushed aside her own hair to reveal a similarly pointed ear.  
  
"Also, Cub, you're going to find your entire body becoming denser, muscle and bone both, making you heavier than you look and stronger, too. Which means, we're going to have to re-train your body to compensate for your greater weight and strength," Sati explained, mentally cataloguing the various items she was going to need. "It's going to be some rather intense training. Think you'll be up for it?"  
  
Ranma puffed out her chest, incidentally causing at least one boy to walk into a lamp post from the prominent display of female attributes, and stated proudly, "I can take anything you can throw at me!"  
  
Sati laughed, slinging an arm about the shorter redhead's shoulders, as she witnessed another boy being slapped by his apparent girlfriend for staring at Ranma's display of obvious 'talent'. What made it so humorous, was that Ranma didn't even have a clue as to the effect she was having on the males around her. For her own part, Jasper just rolled her eyes at the display.  
  
"That's good to hear, Cub," Sati said, still chuckling a bit. "In any case, I think it's time we head back to the Dojo."  
  
"You two go ahead, I gots bizness to take care of," Jasper said as she quickly finished off her ice-cream, before running off to do Kami knew what.  
  
Ranma arched an eyebrow at Sati. "Is she always like that?"  
  
Sati just nodded with an amused look on her face, before leading her charge back towards the Dojo, their conversation turning to other, weightier, topics, at least in Ranma's opinion... such as that night's dinner menu. Neither took notice of the small wizened figure watching them from the entrance of the Nekohanten as they passed, a quizzical expression on her ancient face.  
  
---  
  
'I wonder...' the Amazon Elder, Cologne, thought to herself, as she turned away from the entrance and made her way back to the kitchen. She was beginning to wonder if maybe... No, it couldn't have been. Her old friend had stated that she was only visiting Son-in-law, but... Could Ranma be... a Werewolf? Or some other sort of Were? Of course, that wouldn't change the fact that he was her great-granddaughter's husband. In fact, it would just make Cologne more determined to bring the boy into the tribe with those genes. But, on the other hand, Were, or Lycans as they were often called nowadays, were notoriously difficult to control, male or female and regardless of specific subtype. Males would rather perish violently than submit to even the mildest forms of domination, and while females were slightly more... accepting in that regard, at least in terms of their chosen mates... woe unto anyone or anything that attempted to separate them from their offspring. The Amazons had lost some of their best Warriors attempting to acquire a very young Lycan, which this or that Elder had wished to raise into their own personal Enforcer. To date, no such attempt had ever been successful, and all had ended up costing the Amazon Tribe far more than they could reasonably afford.  
  
As it was, it was now considered extremely unwise to even consider attempting to bring a Lycan into the Amazon Tribe, as either a Husband or as a Wife, due to their past experiences. Still, it wasn't forbidden outright to make the attempt, but Cologne could expect no assistance whatsoever from the rest of Tribe if Ranma were indeed a Lycanthrope.  
  
Cologne felt a shiver travel down her spine, as she considered Ranma's past resistance to any attempt to subjugate him, in light of this new possibility. If Ranma were indeed a Lycanthrope, then she had been badly mishandling the entire affair. And, again if Ranma were a Lycan, then it brought into serious question Cologne's plans for her heir's future, as all too often any Amazon Warrior that became the mate of a Lycan eventually withdrew from the Amazon Tribe to live among the Were Clans with their Mate. If her suspicions proved to be true...  
  
Cologne sighed tiredly, as she looked out of the kitchen towards her great-granddaughter. She'd had such hopes and plans for the girl. With a bit more molding and life experience, Shampoo possessed all the qualities of becoming the next Amazon Matriarch, and of leading their people into an uncertain future. If Ranma were a Lycan, though...  
  
With yet another sigh, Cologne turned back to her pots and pans on the stove, her mind awhirl with possibilities and options. She had some difficult decisions to make in the near future, not the least of which was... which did she consider more important? Continuing to mold Shampoo into the new and future Matriarch of the Amazon Tribe? Or, attempting to ensure her great-granddaughter's future happiness?  
  
Like it, or not, she was going to have to confront Sati on this matter, as she had to know. Was Son-in-law a Were?  
  
---  
  
Kodachi seethed as she slammed her bedroom door shut. "I can not believe that bastard!" The girl threw herself into one of the comfortable chairs in the room, crossing her arms over her chest and letting out a huff. "Hitting on me like that, it's just wrong! And what does my dear, dear brother do? HE TAKES NOTES!!!"  
  
"Mistress Kodachi!" Sasuke said as he melted out of the shadows in the corner. "I bring you news from the Tendo Dojo." Kodachi perked up, happy for the distraction from the earlier events.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, not bothering to sit up straight like a proper young lady as, in private at least, she viewed the diminutive ninja like a father, or much loved uncle. In truth, Sasuke had done more to raise and care for her than her own father had. "Have you gotten any information on their latest houseguest?"  
  
Sasuke nodded, taking out some photos and a few sheets of paper filled with handwritten notes. Kodachi picked up the photos, flipping through them, until she noted a new individual.  
  
"Who is this new girl?" she asked, turning one of the pictures about to indicate the individual in question. On it was Jasper and Sati, looking as if they were discussing some serious topic.  
  
"That would be Jasper MacTavish, of New York, America. She resides with her father, whose name is, strangely enough, Silvereye. As far as I can tell, Miss MacTavish is not a new fiancee of Young Master Saotome," Sasuke stated, reading from his notes. "The other, as previously identified, is Sati Li. The Young Master has continually referred to her as 'Auntie', so it is highly unlikely that she is another fiancee as we at first suspected. Unfortunately, Mistress, I have been unable to locate any further information on either young lady. All of my attempts to acquire further information have been met with governmental and corporate inquiry as to my identity and reason for seeking such information."  
  
"I see. So, they are protected," Kodachi stated, noting Sasuke's nod of agreement before returning her attention to the stack of photos.  
  
Sasuke stood by silently, knowing his report was not yet finished, but allowing his mistress to absorb what information had already been presented. He had seen Taeko hitting on and molesting her as if she were just some random girl on the street, instead of his cousin. The ninja remembered Taeko's father, who was Miyu Kuno's (Tatewaki and Kodachi's mother) cousin, acting much like his son whenever he had seen the man, but he had never behaved as poorly as his son. He'd never gone so far as to do more than outrageously flirt with Miyu, which Miyu had returned to a lesser degree, but he had never attempted to take it any further than that and he had never attempted to actually touch Miyu with anything other than honorable intentions. Sasuke would have known if he had, Miyu had been his best friend as they'd grown up, despite their different social status, he a lowly family retainer, she the heir to the Kuno fortune. He had also known that she hadn't been all that pleased with the man whom her family had arranged for her marry, one Kaitou Himura, who upon their marriage took the Kuno family name.  
  
Miyu had once told Sasuke that her children were the only good things that came from her marriage to the man, whom she had found to be all too unfaithful and wasteful of the Kuno fortune, leaving a string of Paternity Suits and dishonored young girls wherever he went, using her family's fortune and connections to keep himself out of prison. Sasuke had felt immense sorrow for his young charges when his friend, their mother, had been killed. Tatewaki had been affected the most adversely, as he had witnessed her brutal murder. It had been that horrible event that drove him to his present behavior, attempting to be the noble samurai that he believed could have prevented his mother's death.  
  
Kodachi, on the other hand, Sasuke had been able to protect and care for enough that she hadn't sunken into the madness that had claimed her brother. She had some problems, certainly, but she wasn't, in truth, nearly as mad as she pretended to be around others. For the most part, it was an act, a ruse mostly, to keep her father and brother away from her, as both had, at various times, attempted to 'educate' her in the 'proper' way for her to show her respect for them... namely by appeasing them sexually.  
  
Of course, the way Kaitou Kuno behaved was an act as well, one intended to throw off suspicion. Sasuke knew that the Principal of Furinkan High School was responsible in some way for the death of Miyu Kuno, but... he had never been able to find any proof. The man had certainly only grieved for his murdered wife, publicly, until he could conveniently run off to Hawaii, where he wasted little time in setting up a luxurious lifestyle, which was paid for from the Kuno coffers, while leaving the various family businesses in the hands of Trustees.  
  
Of course, he immediately returned to Japan when Tatewaki began making larger and larger withdrawals from those same coffers in his pursuit of Akane Tendo and the Pigtailed Girl. Also, Tatewaki had been making inquiries into the family businesses, and of what would be required for eventually taking over the reins of power when he came of age. That was something Kaitou Kuno could not allow, as there had never been any love between him and his offspring, and he knew that if either of them gained control of the Kuno fortune, he'd be left with nothing.  
  
So, Kaitou Kuno had returned to Japan, took up what had previously only been an 'honorary' position as Principal of Furinkan High, and pretended to be completely off his rocker, as it were. This allowed him to keep a close eye on his son and to interfere in any attempts by said offspring to gain control of HIS money. It also provided him with a readily available legal excuse, if it ever became known that he was taking advantage of several underage girls, sexually. It was truly amazing what one could get away with when everyone thought you were crazy.  
  
"Sasuke? Is this what I think it is?" Kodachi asked, disrupting the little ninja's thoughts. He turned his head towards the photo she was holding up, looking at it, and slowly nodded his head. It was a photo of Sati Li in her hybrid-form as a werewolf.  
  
"Yes, Mistress. It has been confirmed that Miss Li is, in fact, a Werewolf. It has also been claimed that Miss MacTavish is a Werewolf, although I have yet to witness evidence of this." Sasuke knew that this information would please his mistress, since the teenager had a fondness for the dark creatures just like she had for her black roses and potion making. "And Mistress, it has also been claimed that the Young Master is one as well."  
  
"What?!" Kodachi's head snapped up in surprise. "My Ranma-sama, a Werewolf!?"  
  
Sasuke nodded, then added, "If I heard correctly, Mistress, the Young Master is expected to shortly undergo his very first transformation."  
  
"Leave me, while I think of this."  
  
Sasuke bowed, respectfully, before stepping back into the shadows and fading from view.  
  
Kodachi sat back into her chair, her thoughts drifting to images of Ranma Saotome... covered in fur. "A Werewolf, hmm? My, my, my, how you keep surprising me, Ranma-sama. And such a pleasant surprise, too." 


	13. Chapter 13a

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Author Notes: Goman! bows I didn't mean to take to long but not only did I have writer's blocks, some parts are be to redone acouple of times. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long.

Also, I now have a ranma 1/2 yahoo group for Ranma being paired with other's except Akane. There are no Akane/Ranma parings in this group. So it's a good place to look for or post your own Ranma 1/2

Chapter 13-a

Night had descended upon Nerima and a rare, peaceful, calm seemed to hover over the Tendo Dojo, with those within sleeping comfortably, if not always contently. Unfortunately, this was not to last as a small shadowy figure crept over the wall of the Tendo compound before darting furtively to the side of the house and concealing itself among some bushes. Moving with extreme caution, the small figure made its way to a particular window on the ground floor of the house before stopping once more.

It was obvious from the way the small figure was looking furtively about that it expected to be caught at any moment, especially as there was no concealing brush available on this side of the house, but it seemed determined to carry out its mission. In utter silence the figure extracted something from within its dark clothing and after another moment lifted the item above its head. At that moment, the crescent-moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its pale light upon the mysterious figure, to reveal... Happosai, perverted Grandmaster of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts.

This should allow me to get past that blasted she-bitch, Happosai thought, as he poured the contents of the pouch he held above his head over himself. The dust, nothing more really than a mixture of dried and powdered herbs, was an old hunter's trick to completely mask one's scent and allow said hunter to get within easy striking distance of their intended prey. Knowing just how sensitive a werewolf's sense of smell actually was, Happosai covered himself completely with the powder, even going so far as to pour a considerable amount inside his clothing, until he was completely covered and looked, if there had been more light available, as if he'd rolled about for some time in a giant vat of catnip or something. It wasn't the least bit comfortable, and caused a nearly overwhelming urge to scratch himself all over, but he restrained himself from doing so by sheer force of will. His mission was far too important to jeopardize it simply because of some physical discomfort. Once he was certain that he'd covered himself completely with the dust, Happosai slowly and cautiously scaled the short distance to the window of his former room, silently opened the well-lubricated window, and crept into the dark interior.

Despite what many may have thought or believed, Happosai had not hidden the majority of his ill-gotten gains over his lifetime within the Tendo compound, as more than a few of his old enemies were well-aware of his place of residence. Other than a few, relatively minor, magical trinkets, and a small amount of gold and jewels, the only other items of note in his room was the vast quantity of feminine undergarments. In truth, at first glance, there was nothing in the room that Happosai couldn't replace with relative ease and a bit of time, or even truly miss. Except... for one item.

In a carefully constructed hiding space, hidden beneath the floorboards, beneath a certain tatami, which in turn was buried beneath a large mound of unwashed panties, was Happosai's greatest treasure... and his greatest weakness. Where exactly Happosai had acquired the item, even he couldn't remember, but without this one item... he'd have long since been replaced as the Grandmaster of the style he'd created. Carefully, and silently, moving the unwashed panties aside, Happosai lifted the tatami to expose the bare wood floor beneath. Reaching down, he gently pressed the corner of one board, causing the other end of the unsecured board to rise enough for him to take hold of it and lift the board aside, exposing the hidden cache beneath. Almost reverently, Happosai reached down and lifted out what appeared to be nothing more than a moderately large and thick tome, the covers of which were held securely closed with what appeared to be bronze clasps. Other than appearing to be quite old, and rather well-used, the old tome was otherwise unremarkable in appearance. Happosai, however, was fully aware that the tome he held in his greedy little hands was anything but unremarkable.

In truth, the ancient tome was the magical equivalent of a modern personal computer, with a few extras that modern computers were only just now beginning to be programmed with, such as translation programs. Unfortunately, that didn't include a magical equivalent of the Internet. The tome only contained the information that was written into it, but after well-over two-hundred-years Happosai had written down a considerable amount of information into the tome. No matter how trivial or useless it may have at first appeared, Happosai had painstakingly copied every martial arts and magical scroll he'd managed to acquire into the tome, including those he couldn't even read due to being in a dead, or simply unknown, language. He'd learned early on in his possession of the tome that, no matter what language was written into the tome, that same information would later be displayed in the written language of the reader. In short, the magical tome had made it possible for Happosai to gather a vast store of magical and martial knowledge, without the hindrance of having to personally remember it all, or carry around a huge library of scrolls and books wherever he went. The tome had made it possible for him to be the Grandmaster of his own style, and to remain in his position until the present time. If he encountered a technique he couldn't immediately counter with the knowledge he had on hand, he simply retreated from the situation until he could consult his tome, find any and all information that had been entered about that particular technique or one similar to it and could develop a counter. Which he would later add to the tome's contents... if it worked.

One of the best things about the magical tome, however, wasn't that it could translate any written language into another modern written language. No, the best thing about it was that one didn't have to search for the information one desired, or consult an index or table of contents. The tome didn't have either of those in any case, unless that was what one was looking for. No, one simply opened the tome, thought about the subject one wanted to know, and the tome would provide a list of entries that related to that particular subject. If the reader didn't request information on a particular topic, or was intending to write down further information into the tome... the pages remained blank.

In any case, now that Happosai had recovered his most prized possession, it was now time to move on to the second phase of his plans... finally acquiring Ranma-chan as his personal toy and devoted slave, before leaving Nerima for good. Opening the tome and thinking about what he wanted to accomplish, he carefully scrutinized the information that appeared on the previously blank page in the pale moonlight, before proceeding to gather the necessary ingredients and equipment. There would be no mistakes, and nothing would be allowed to go wrong...

Murphy loves a challenge...

--

Once he'd gathered everything he'd need, Happosai had exited the house to approach the room Ranma shared with his father from outside, having sensed Sati's presence in the room beneath the stairs and wanting to stay well-clear of her... just in case. Hopping into the guest room, Happosai dashed around quickly, striking shiatsu points on both Ranma and his father, which would ensure that neither of them would awaken until it was all over with and he was long gone with his new slave.

Moving quickly, and as silently as he could, Happosai proceeded to create the required mystical symbols and the circle of candles, including the four larger ones that were placed at the cardinal compass points, around Ranma's unconscious form. Once more consulting the tome, and ensuring that the symbols he'd drawn around his victim were precisely as required, he moved on to the ingredients necessary for the incense that was to be burned during the spell he intended to cast, measuring each one with careful precision before moving on to the next.

None to soon, in Happosai's opinion, all was in readiness and only two things remained to be done... changing Ranma to his girl-form and casting the spell. With extreme care the old lecher moved over to Ranma and with even greater care, to ensure that it would not splash and incidentally corrupt any of the mystical symbols he'd drawn, poured water over the sleeping youth, eliciting a change in gender.

It was a struggle, but Happosai restrained himself from latching onto the bountiful bosom that sprang up beneath Ranma's muscle-t, consoling himself with the knowledge than soon... soon, he'd be able to enjoy far more than a quick grope and fondle of the petite redhead. All he had to do was be a little patient, and complete the spell.

Moving back outside the circle of candles, Happosai quickly lit them all, then set the incense to burning. Then, once the incense had had the opportunity to completely permeate the room, Happosai once again consulted the tome... and began to read, chanting the words of the spell softly but clearly, forcing himself to enunciate each and every syllable precisely and carefully.

Unfortunately, for Happosai, the spell was both long and complex... it wasn't as easy as some might have thought to turn someone as strong-willed as Ranma into a willing and devoted slave, especially a 'sex-slave'. And the spell would have to overcome more than just Ranma's will, after all. There was also the locking of her form and her gender preferences that had to be overcome. Happosai hadn't even gotten halfway through the spell yet, and already the burning candles had heated the room to such a degree that Happosai had begun to sweat heavily, which in turn caused his desire to scratch himself to increase exponentially, and the dawn was fast approaching. Still, Happosai hadn't lived as long as he had without having learned to control himself and most of his body's involuntary reflexes, so he continued reading and chanting, ignoring his bodies increasing need for relief.

Happosai's undoing, however, was that he could only control most of his involuntary reflexes, as opposed to all, and his overuse of the scent-masking dust which, by the way, had been ground to the consistency of an extremely fine powder and was puffing out from within his clothes in little dust-clouds with each little movement on his part. Subsequently, it was virtually inevitable that one such dust-cloud would make its appearance in front of his face and thereby be inhaled into Happosai's nasal passages. While the mixture of herbs was an excellent means of concealing one's scent, a few of them also happened to be major irritants to one's sinuses.

"AHHHHHHHH-CHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

With that one act of Happosai's body to clear its sinuses of the irritant... the gathering magic of the spell he'd been casting dissipated, helped along by the fact that his convulsive sneeze had also blown out several of the candles. The first sneeze also caused more of the dust to be put into the air, and subsequently be inhaled by Happosai, thereby eliciting even more sneezing. The spell broken, and the sky outside beginning to lighten with the approaching dawn, Happosai could only lament yet another missed opportunity as he continued to sneeze and give in to the urge to vigorously scratch himself all over.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, no-one's really sure where, a fellow by the name of Murphy was toasting himself for vanquishing yet another challenger...

"Ah-choo! Whas goin' on..." Ranma-chan asked drowsily, sitting up and looking around as she rubbed her irritated button of a nose. Due to her presently changing metabolism and the abundant amounts of dust floating about the room, not to mention the changing of genders and the noise Happosai was now making, the shiatsu pressure point had only had limited effect upon her. Taking note of Happosai in her room, the symbols drawn on the floor, her current gender, the candles and so on... well, it didn't take a genius to know that something smelled rotten in Denmark... or something like that, since Ranma-chan presently couldn't seem to smell anything. "Hey, ya ol' letch! What the... ah.. ahh-choo... What the heck d'ya think you're doing?"

In response, Happosai simply leapt towards her bosom intending to at least get a quick grope in before having to flee the premises, but he was met with Ranma-chan's dainty fist and sent flying backwards to crash against the wall. Unfortunately, this action also put even more of the dust into the air, which sent Ranma-chan into a sneezing fit herself. And so it went for the next few moments, both combatants sneezing and upon occasion coughing, as they jockeyed for dominance... or a quick recharge.

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOI--EEEK!!! PERVERT!!!" Akane screamed as she burst into the room only to suddenly find her pajama-top filled to bursting with a perverted old martial artist, and promptly relieved of the brassiere she'd been wearing beneath. Then, as she began hopping about and attempting to remove the groping little rodent from her now shredded top, said rodent quickly did away with her pajama-bottoms and relieved her of her panties.

"A THONG!?" Happosai crowed, bouncing around the room in glee, but still taking every opportunity to feel-up the youngest Tendo's now all but nude body. "Akane, my dear, you make this old man proud! Ranma! You ingrate! Why can't you ever wear something so delightful?!"

"In your dreams, ya ol' letch!" Ranma-chan barked, clipping Happosai in the side with a swift kick and sending him tumbling, as Akane fled the room through the open doorway, through which Nabiki and Kasumi peered curiously.

Happosai was beginning to grow desperate, knowing that Sati could arrive at any moment. He had to get away, and fast, not to mention recover his tome, but at that moment he became distracted as Nabiki shifted her position slightly and inadvertently gave the old lecher a clear view of exactly what she was wearing... which wasn't really all that much. In point of fact, all she was wearing was a short camisole and silk panties, both of dark emerald green, and the camisole was practically see-thru.

"HOTCHA!!! COME TO HAPPI!!!" the old pervert howled and made a beeline for Nabiki.

Until that moment, Nabiki had never really had to worry about the old letch, fending him off with the occasional threat and wanted piece of information, although the loss of the occasional undergarment was rather irritating. And despite her past behavior to the contrary, Nabiki was completely unsullied by the touch of any man, with every intention of remaining that way until a time of her own choosing. Now, however, witnessing the pervert heading straight for her at considerable speed, the clear and blatant lust evident in his eyes... Nabiki panicked.

"RANMA!!!" she screamed in sheer terror, desperately attempting to move out of the lecher's flight trajectory, but already knowing that it was far too late and subconsciously already feeling his lecherous little hands molesting her body.

"DIE!!!" Ranma-chan screamed, leaping forward and hitting Happosai squarely with a chi-enhanced kick that had all the power behind it that she could muster, launching the old pervert through the wall and far out across the city. "Stinkin' Pervert!"

"Nabiki? Nabiki, it's all right! He's gone now!"

Ranma-chan turned back to look out into the hallway and was surprised to see Nabiki almost curled up into a little ball against the opposite wall, her arms wrapped tightly about her drawn up legs and shivering uncontrollably, as Kasumi hovered over her in concern.

"What happened?" Ranma-chan asked in concern rushing over to the two girls. "He didn't even touch her!"

"I... I don't know," Kasumi stammered, obviously distressed over Nabiki's behavior and lack of response.

"Hey? Nabiki?" Ranma-chan softly called, hesitantly reaching out to touch the shivering girl. "It's okay! He's gone! He won't--ACK!!" The instant Ranma-chan had touched Nabiki's shoulder, the older girl had snapped her head up, eyes wide in fright and looking all around before locking onto Ranma's own. Then, suddenly, Ranma-chan was bowled over onto the floor as Nabiki uncoiled from her position like a striking cobra to literally wrap herself about the smaller girl, still shivering in apparent fear.

"Uhm... Perhaps, you should just hold her for a while, Ranma-chan," Kasumi said, noting that it would likely take a truckload of dynamite to separate Nabiki from Ranma at the moment. "I think she's just very upset and frightened over what almost happened."

"Yeah, no foolin'," Ranma-chan said, carefully wrapping her arms about Nabiki, while trying to ignore the fact that she had a practically naked girl glued to her own body with a death-grip. "I wouldn't wish the Ol' Letch on anyone, least of all a girl, but... Isn't this a bit... well, much?"

"That would depend on a great many things, Cub."

"Huh?" Ranma-chan grunted, looking to one side and seeing Sati standing at the top of the stairs, dressed only in a cut-off t-shirt and panties. Under the circumstances though, while she couldn't help but find the image... enticing, the fact that she also presently had a near-naked Nabiki shivering against her own body kinda detracted from her normal ability to blush over the situation she was in. "Where ya been, Auntie? The Ol' Letch was here and..."

"So I heard," Sati responded, walking closer and kneeling down beside them. "Of course, by the time I knew something was wrong in the house, I could also hear that you were handling the situation. Too many fighters, in such an enclosed space, could have easily shifted the odds in the favor of someone of Happi's size and skill. So, I waited at the base of the stairs in case he came that way, and only decided to come upstairs when it suddenly grew quiet. Since you're still here and in one piece, I suppose it was the right thing to do. So, what's wrong with Nabiki?"

"Don't know," Ranma-chan sighed, gently tightening her arms about the shivering girl and carefully lifting herself up into a seated position. "The Ol' Letch didn't even touch her. Just jumped at her, before I kicked him away."

"Hmm..." Sati mused, looking the obviously still frightened Nabiki over, before shifting her gaze to Kasumi. In contrast to the highly revealing sleepwear that Nabiki was wearing, Kasumi was wearing a long silk negligee that, while it would highlight her attractive figure, was completely opaque and she'd donned a robe over that. "Kasumi? Doesn't Nabiki usually wear pajamas to sleep in?"

"Oh, no," Kasumi responded. "She only puts on her pajamas if she has to leave her room for some reason before she actually has to dress for the day, or on particularly cold nights. While I think it's rather scandalous, Nabiki normally sleeps in the nude, but she does have a few items of lingerie that she will sometimes sleep in as well. I suppose that in all the excitement, she simply forgot to put on her pajamas."

This time, Ranma couldn't suppress the blush that appeared on her cheeks, as her mind filled with images of a nude sleeping Nabiki.

"So... Nabiki's never been a recipient of Happosai's... attentions?"

"No, I don't believe so," Kasumi responded, seeming to think the question over. "For some reason Grandfather Happosai never really seemed to bother Nabiki and I."

"Hey, you're right!" Ranma-chan piped up. "I've often wondered about that. I can understand why he'd never molest you, Kasumi, as I can't imagine anyone doin' that to someone as nice as you are." While Ranma missed it, Sati didn't. Kasumi's expression, just for a moment, had shifted to one of disappointment. "It was Nabiki, though, that I could never figure out."

"Actually, if I understand the way things have been here, it's perfectly understandable," Sati explained, having thought over what she'd noticed about the occupants of the Tendo residence, and what she knew of Happosai. "Kasumi and Nabiki were the only two in this house that he couldn't really afford to antagonize in any great way."

"What d'ya mean?"

"Think about it, Cub," Sati explained. "While Soun Tendo may be the recognized head of the Tendo household... Is he really?"

Ranma-chan did think about it. "Good point, Auntie. Despite what he and Pops may say, it's really Kasumi and Nabiki that run everything."

"Exactly," Sati agreed. "While Kasumi's been doing all of the cooking and cleaning, including for Happosai, Nabiki's been the one ensuring that all of the bills were paid and that Kasumi could continue to place such excellent meals on the table. If he molested either of them, he ran the risk of driving one or both away, which would have been bad for all of you, including him."

"Then why'd he try to..." Ranma-chan began, only to trail off and think it over for a moment. After a few moments, she looked back up and said, "He's leaving, isn't he? And he doesn't really have any intentions of coming back for a while."

"That would be my guess. So, he no longer felt he needed to hold back from molesting these two," Sati said, pointing at Nabiki and Kasumi.

"Okay, I can understand all that," Ranma-chan said, fighting a losing battle with her own hands, as they continued to drop down and caress Nabiki's bottom until she'd realize what she was doing and lift them back up to Nabiki's hips. Only to have them drop back down to that delectable bottom the instant her concentration wavered. "None of that explains why Nabiki reacted like this, since he never even touched her."

"That, I'm afraid, is likely to be something that only Nabiki can tell us," Sati sighed, smirking at Ranma's up and down hand movements. She could also see that while Kasumi wanted to say something about it, she was restraining herself, most likely due to the fact that until Nabiki released her death-grip upon Ranma-chan it would be a complete waste of breath. "For now, though... why don't you carry Nabiki back to her room and put her back in bed. Stay with her for a while, not that I can really see how you can get away from her while she's holding you like that, and I'll send Kasumi back up to wake the two of you when breakfast is ready."

"I-If you say so, Auntie," Ranma-chan stammered, while awkwardly getting to her feet, with Nabiki's arms and legs wrapped tightly about her smaller body.

"I do, Cub," Sati said, holding up a hand to silence Kasumi when she was about to say something. "Nabiki seems to trust you, a great deal. And I seriously doubt that she would want to be alone right now."

"It's not proper, Sati," Kasumi said the instant that Ranma-chan carried Nabiki into her room. "Especially with the way he couldn't seem to... restrain his hands."

"Do you honestly believe that Ranma would willingly do anything improper with Nabiki, Kasumi?" Sati asked.

"There was a time when I would have immediately said that the very idea was ridiculous, but lately..."

"You're right. Ranma's becoming an adult, with an adult's reactions and instinctual behavior, especially towards the opposite gender," Sati said, once again holding a hand up to forestall any comments from Kasumi. "But, Ranma is not yet an adult. Soon, yes, but not yet. At the moment, Nabiki trusts him, and clearly doesn't want to be away from him. And, there's also Nabiki's own dawning maturity to take into consideration."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess you didn't notice anything other than what Ranma's hands were doing," Sati said with a smirk. "I did, though. Each time Ranma's hands dropped to her bottom, Nabiki held Ranma just a little tighter and was rocking her hips against him just a tiny bit. I'm not entirely certain that the girl is as terrified as she first appeared to be."

--

As things turned out... it wasn't Kasumi that called Ranma and Nabiki to breakfast... although the two of them would no doubt have preferred it to be so.

Jasper had come over to the Dojo early that morning to discuss a few things with Sati about Ranma's upcoming change, and she'd subsequently been drafted to wake the two, after Akane came downstairs, complete with now empty water bucket in hand, asking as to the whereabouts of her perverted fiancé. Not the least bit surprising, Akane wasn't at all pleased to learn of his present location, no matter what the circumstances that had placed him there. Still, she could rant and stew all she liked, but until Sati applied the counter to the paralyzation shiatsu point she'd pressed on Akane, there wasn't a whole lot else that she could do.

Jasper hadn't really given the situation a lot of thought, and upon entering Nabiki's bedroom, after failing to get a response from her knocking, she just stood there taking in the scene for a few moments. On the one hand, the picture of the two girls occupying Nabiki's bed was extremely cute, what with the way that they were cuddled up together, arms and legs entwined. On the other hand, it was also somewhat erotic, due to the fact that Ranma-chan's muscle-t had ridden up to expose her breasts, which were pressed right up against Nabiki's own endowments, and somehow Ranma-chan's boxer-shorts had slipped down to her knees and her exposed bottom was presently being held in a rather possessive manner by a still sleeping Nabiki.

It was almost a shame to wake the two for breakfast. Almost, Jasper thought, as she withdrew a small aerosol can from a pouch on her belt, an evil smile appearing on her lips.

Sati and Kasumi, both in the kitchen and putting the finishing touches on that morning's breakfast, jumped at the sound of an air-horn blaring away loudly inside the house. This was followed a moment later by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor, after obviously having been rudely awakened, and a loud, cheery, voice announcing that breakfast was ready and cackling madly. This in turn was followed by an angered shout, either from Ranma-chan or Nabiki, and yet another loud thump of a body hitting the floor.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Nabiki growled, glaring at Jasper from across the table.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Jasper snickered. "I just wish dat I'd had my digi-cam with me, so I coulda gotten a picture o' da two of ya. It was so cuuuuuuute!"

"Oh sure, I bet," Ranma growled, once again male after a quick bath. "Nabiki may have taken pictures of my girl-form while I slept, and sold them, but she never actually tried to get complete nudes. What's the big idea of lifting up my shirt and pulling my boxers down, huh?"

"Yeah," Nabiki agreed. "Even I have limits."

Jasper just stared the two of them for a few moments... before finally falling over onto her side and laughing hard.

"What's so funny?" Ranma snapped.

"Apparently..." Jasper began, trying to reign in her laughter. "Apparently, Nabiki's 'limits', don't extend ta when she's asleep."

"Huh?" Ranma asked. "What's that supposed ta mean?"

"It means," Sati calmly said, pausing in her meal. "That when Jasper went up to wake the two of you, your clothing was already in the condition you found it upon waking up. Nabiki, it seems, has roving hands when she's asleep."

"My sister is not a pervert!" Akane snarled, glaring at them, especially Sati. While Akane could now move the upper portion of her body, her legs were still paralyzed. Otherwise, she'd have already pounded Ranma into the ground.

"No one said she was, Cub," Sati responded. "Just because she may have gotten a little... overly attentive, as they both slept, and engaged in some harmless fondling of her bedmate, doesn't make her, or Ranma, a pervert."

"He's always been a pervert, and he'll always be a pervert!" Akane growled, glaring at him.

"Forget it, Daddy!" a blushing Nabiki growled, having noticed her father and Mr. Saotome exchanging furtive glances. "Nothing happened, and I am not marrying Ranma at any time in the immediate future."

"But..." Soun began.

"Father," Kasumi interrupted. "They were both girls at the time, and if Nabiki says nothing happened, then I'm certain that nothing did."

Sati smirked as she noted Soun slump in defeat as yet another opportunity to force Ranma into marrying one of his daughters slipped through his fingers. She wondered if anyone else had noted that Nabiki hadn't stated that she would 'never' marry Ranma, as Akane was so fond of reminding everyone, but that she wouldn't be doing so 'in the immediate future'.

"In any case," Genma began, not as easily dissuaded as his friend. "The fact remains that Ranma has shared the bed of a woman, while inappropriately dressed, and intimate contact was exchanged. The only honorable course of action, in such a situation, is for the boy to marry said woman."

"Gee, Pop," Ranma said, fully aware of what his father was attempting, but also easily recognizing a means of derailing the ol' panda's attempt to force him to marry before he was ready. "I wish you'd make up your mind. First you want me to marry one of Mr. Tendo's daughters, but now you're sayin' that you want me to marry Shampoo."

"Huh? That's not..." Genma began, obviously confused.

"Well, who else could ya be talkin' 'bout?" Ranma asked. "If I'm supposed ta marry the girl that I've slept with, while 'inappropriately' dressed, and 'intimate' contact was 'exchanged', then ya gotta be talkin' 'bout Shampoo. She's the first girl I've ever woke up and found in bed with me, more than once, inappropriately dressed and, more often than I care ta think about, with her hands definitely making 'intimate contact'. What's the matter, Pop, Mr. Tendo's daughters suddenly not good enough, or somethin'? Did the Ol' Ghoul offer somethin' to ya, if ya could get me hitched ta Shampoo? Why the sudden change of engagements? Especially after all Mr. Tendo's done for us while we've been here."

"Genma..." Soun growled, all too easily able to imagine Genma transferring the engagement of his son to someone other than one of his own daughters... if sufficiently enticed.

If there was one thing that Genma Saotome had learned about his oldest friend, Soun Tendo, over the many years of their friendship, it was that, just like his youngest daughter, there was no reasoning with him once he became angry. And one look at his old friend informed Genma that he was, indeed, angry. Unlike his idiot son, however, who would hang around and attempt to reason with his angered fiancee, Genma was far wiser and more experienced. Nope, the best thing to do in this situation, as had occurred in the past, was to run for it and give his friend a chance to calm down before trying to explain anything. And so... Genma bolted, with Soun in hot pursuit.

"Pretty smooth, Saotome," Nabiki giggled. "And just where were Shampoo's hands, hmm?"

Ranma opened his mouth to respond, then suddenly snapped it closed, blushing furiously.

"Pervert! Just like I said!" Akane snorted.

"As interesting as all this has been," Sati began, producing the large tome that Happosai had left behind and setting it upon the table, before pushing it towards Ranma, "I found this in your room, after you took Nabiki back to hers. As Happosai's 'heir', I believe it would belong to you. At least, until such time as he tries to retrieve it."

"There's nothing in it," Ranma said, after opening the tome and flipping through the blank pages. "The pages are all blank."

"Is dat what I tink it is?" Jasper asked, slightly wide-eyed.

"Yep. A magical tome," Sati replied, before going on to explain how such a tome worked to Ranma and the others. Once she'd explained how it worked, Ranma was having the book produce all kinds of information on a multitude of martial arts techniques and styles that he'd heard about over the years, including information on the Neko-ken and...

"That lyin' sneak," Ranma growled, looking over the text that had appeared when he'd pondered on the various styles that had been incorporated into the Saotome School, and discovered several that his father had never even hinted at. "He's been holdin' out on me."

"Could I look at that for a moment, Saotome?" Nabiki asked. Not too surprisingly, the pages went blank when Ranma handed the tome to her. But new text appeared quickly once Nabiki had it in her lap.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" Ranma asked, peering over her shoulder, and promptly blushing crimson at what he saw. Apparently, the tome could produce pictures as well.

"Oh, I just figured that since the Ol' Perv had it, this thing just had to have some kind of information on sexual martial arts techniques," Nabiki said with a big grin, before setting the book back in front of Ranma, but maintaining physical contact with it so that the pages didn't go blank again. "Be a good boy, won't you, and study these sections diligently."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi and Akane both said.

"Hey, Ranma could use all the help he can get, when it comes to girls and intimate situations," Nabiki said in defense of her actions. Of course, what she didn't say was that if Ranma actually did learn those sections of the tome, then he was going make some girl very contented later on.

"Gimme that!" Akane growled, leaning across the table and yanking the tome over to her. But, try as she might, the pages remained blank. "Why isn't it working?"

"Probably because you took it without permission," Sati said. "Most magical tomes, like that one, have spells built into them so that only certain individuals can actually view the contents. Some tomes have even been known to gain some minor self-awareness, after a few centuries of existence. At a guess, though, I'd say that Ranma, being Happosai's recognized 'heir', at least by Happosai, qualifies him to view the contents."

"Then why could Nabiki get it to work?" Akane demanded. "She's not even a martial artist."

"She asked Ranma for the use of the tome, and he handed it to her," Sati explained. "You, on the other hand, simply took it from him, without asking or getting his permission. Heck, if I hadn't felt the magic on it, and recognized it for it was, I'd have just assumed it was a blank book. I couldn't get it to work for me, either. I wasn't even sure that it would work for Ranma."

Needless to say, Akane was less than pleased when, even after getting Ranma's permission to use the tome... the pages steadfastly remained blank. Even having Ranma hold the tome and question it himself, while Akane looked over his shoulder, didn't produce the desired results. Ranma could see the text, but Akane was still seeing a blank page.

--

The following days were rather hectic as the next full moon drew ever closer. Jasper, who was helping Sati get everything set up for Ranma's first transformation, hadn't even gotten much of a chance to go after Taeko Kuno. Luckily, for him, the self-proclaimed werewolf hunter seemed to be laying low at the moment, so there was no great need to worry about him. Sati had rented a cabin outside of Tokyo, in an isolated bit of forest, and made arrangements for having fairly large amounts of fresh meat delivered daily for their stay. She also managed, with Nabiki's help, to acquire a fair amount of steel girders, or 'I'-bars, from some of the demolition sites around Tokyo. With Ranma's steadily increasing strength normal wooden training posts were just a waste of time and effort.

Speaking of which...

SPANG

The dull ringing sound pealed out across Tendo compound as Ranma's fist connected with the partially buried girder, leaving a large dent in the hardened metal.

SPANG

Another dent was added, this one making the girder vibrate noticeably. Standing to one side, Sati silently gauged the strength of the blows and... was a little disappointed.

"Oh, come on, Cub," she huffed. "You can do better than that. You've hit it twice already, and other than impressions of your fist, the thing's still straight as a rail. Put some actual muscle into it."

SPANG SPANG S-S-S-S-S-SP-P-P-PA-A-A-A-A-AN-N-N-N-NG-G-G-G

Sati looked over the now heavily dented girder, the top of which was now bent back at about a thirty-degree angle off the vertical, as Ranma hoped around with his hands beneath his armpits a grimace of pain on his face.

"Not bad, Cub, not bad," she sighed, before glaring at him. "But I said muscle, not speed. All the speed in the world isn't going to do you a lick of good, if you can't do some serious damage when you connect."

Akane, who'd been in the dojo performing her own training, had been watching through the open doors and wondered what was so special about putting dents into a hunk of metal. Sure, the metal was a bit more durable than the concrete slabs she habitually destroyed, but what was the point? Really, how often was a martial artist going to be called upon to beat up something made out of metal? Concrete, cement and such, on the other hand... One never knew when they'd have knock down a wall or two. Brushing the concrete dust from her hands, Akane stomped her way outside.

"What's this so-called training supposed to accomplish?" Akane asked, as Sati pulled the girder from the ground, only to toss it aside and place another, undamaged, girder into its place.

"Strength, focus and tolerance," Sati grunted, ramming the girder down tight. "It's harder than it looks. Ranma's developed his speed nicely, but he relies on it far too much. He's become unbalanced."

"Hmphf," Akane snorted, smirking at Ranma who was still grimacing in obvious pain and rubbing at his abused knuckles. "Even I'm stronger than that jerk." She then snidely added, "And I'm just a girl."

"Don't ya mean, gorilla?" Ranma shot back.

"Why you..." Akane growled, taking a step towards him before stopping, a determined expression appearing on face as her hands closed into tight fists. "Fine! I'm gorilla, but that's still better than being an arrogant, insensitive, PERVERTED JERK!" Akane growled, her voice rising into a scream at the end, as she spun about and delivered a truly devastating blow to the upright girder.

"Hmm... Now that," Sati sighed, watching as an expression of intense pain replaced Akane's previously enraged expression, "wasn't a very wise thing to do."

Akane simply whimpered, as she slowly drew her fist away from the unblemished girder to cradle it against her chest. Neither Sati, nor Ranma, had to examine Akane's hand to know that she had broken several bones. As a result, any further training of Ranma was put on hold as he escorted the youngest Tendo to Tofu's clinic.

--

The following afternoon found Akane, her right hand in a plaster cast that extended halfway up her forearm, glaring at Jasper, who was doubled over in laughter after Akane had, reluctantly, explained how she'd broken her hand, while trying ineffectively to use chopsticks with her left hand.

"Dat is so fuckin' funny," Jasper laughed, and then laughed harder as Akane, by no means ambidextrous, applied a little too much pressure to the chopsticks in her left hand. This excess pressure resulted in the small ball of rice she was attempting to get to her mouth to suddenly fly upwards, only to land on the top of her head with a splat.

"Ha, ha," Akane grumped, cleaning the rice from her hair. "Laugh it up, why don't you! I'll bet you couldn't have done any better. You're not even a martial artist."

"Hmphf. What's being a martial artist gotta do wit' it?" Jasper grunted, getting herself back under control. "I can do a bit o' dat chop suki shit, too, but I don' go aroun' braggin' 'bout it! What Sati was tryin' ta teach Ranma was how ta control his strength, ta focus it, an' ta learn how ta deal wit' a bit o' hurt in da process. Instead, he went an' tried ta play patty-cake wit' a steel girder, hittin' it a lot, but not really doin' dat much damage. You, on da other hand..." Jasper couldn't quite repress the snicker that escaped. "Ya had da right idea, placin' all your strength in a single blow, but..."

"I still say you couldn't do any better," Akane growled. She then made a point of looking Jasper up and down, before muttering, "Wimp."

"Oh, I'm a 'wimp' am I?" Jasper responded, baring her teeth a bit in a feral grin. "Looks are often deceivin'... Nitro."

"'Nitro'?"

"Short for 'nitroglycerin'," Jasper snickered. "From everythin' I've heard 'bout ya, it fits. Handle wit' extreme care or... BOOM!"

"Put up, or shut up, Wimp!" Akane growled, getting to her feet and not caring for the nickname at all. Her temper wasn't that bad!

"Fine, fine," Jasper grumbled, getting to her feet and following Akane out into the yard and over to the girder. "Dis da same one ya broke your paw on? Hmm, no dents. Not a one."

"Less talk. More action," Akane growled, refraining from answering the question.

"Yeah, yeah," Jasper grunted, taking position before the upright girder. Despite being a werewolf herself, Jasper was fully aware that she wasn't close to being as strong as Sati, or even Ranma once he'd undergone his first transformation. Still...

SPANG

When Jasper lowered her fist to her side, there was a noticeable impression of it remaining in the steel girder, which was also noticeably no longer straight, if only by a little. She turned and faced Akane, lifting an eyebrow in question as to her ability to do as she said she could. For her own part, Akane just glared at the girder, then at Jasper, before sniffing loudly, turning on her heel and stomping back into the house.

Jasper continued to remain standing there, fist still clenched at her side, until Akane was well out of sight. When she was reasonably certain that Akane wouldn't make a sudden reappearance, Jasper finally voiced her thoughts on the concept of striking steel girders as hard as one could with their bare hand. "God damn, son-of-a-fuckin'-bitch, that hurts!" Jasper growled, dropping to her knees and cradling her throbbing hand.

Luckily, her hand was only severely bruised, to the bone, but it would be completely healed within a matter of hours. Unfortunately, for at least the next hour or so, it was still going to hurt like bloody blazes. 


	14. Chapter 13b

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Author notes: If you came straight to this chapter after clicking on this story you need to back one cause this is the second part of chapter 13

and don't forget to join the Kokoro

Chapter 13-b

Sati sat perched on the roof of Furinkan High, watching the students circulate in the school yard during the lunch period. The next full moon was the following week and she had yet to decide on the final items necessary for Ranma's first transformation. Namely females willing to have wild animal sex, with a creature out of myth and legend. Not too surprisingly, it was easier said than done. And unfortunately, other than Jasper and herself, she would have to make her selections from among the local human population.

The main problems with including human participants in the Rite of the First Moon were the disparities in size, strength and endurance. Especially in regards to a male Were and a human female. While it wasn't a certainty, despite the impression she had been giving. It was highly likely that some sex would occur, which for the human participants could result in serious injury if precautions weren't taken beforehand, in the case of young male undergoing the Rite. It was customary to have at least three or more female Were on hand, and also being fertile at that set time. There was a reason why other male Weres were strictly forbidden from taking part in the Rite. Fights because of territorial disputes, dominance, and mating rights usually end in serious injury. While extremely rare for it to occur, it was not entirely unheard of for a young male Were, if sufficiently strong and dominant enough, to decide to keep the females taking part in the Rite and attempt to form his own Pack. This was also the reason that the female Weres taking part were often unmated volunteers from neighbouring Packs, and usually much older and more experienced than the male, which would tend making it much more difficult for the young male to dominate them.

While Ranma, would certainly become more aggressive and dominant of those around him, after he underwent the Rite. Sati was reasonably certain that he wasn't the type to enforce his will upon those females that truly didn't wish to be mated to him. And yet, the possibility remained, which is one of the reasons Sati was rather pleased that Jasper had chosen to remain and take part in the Rite. As a young and relatively inexperienced Were herself, Jasper was not required to take part and could have easily refused. Sati, herself, had no fears that Ranma would be able to dominate her... unless she allowed it, that is.

Which still left Sati with the problem of locating other willing participants? And since there were no Packs nearby, werewolves being rather rare in Japan, she was forced to consider other options, namely human participants.

Ranma's fiancées, of course, were an obvious choice. And yet, there were inherent problems in those choices. Akane was simply too emotionally immature to take part, and would be for quite some time to come. If Sati were any judge of maturity, and then, of course, there was the likely reactions of Soun and Genma if they learned that Ranma and Akane had engaged in ANY form of sexual activity. Their reactions, alone, were enough to disqualify Akane from consideration. Neither of the children deserved that kind of pressure and Sati seriously doubted Akane's ability to keep her mouth shut.

Nabiki while not an 'official' fiancée. She had shown some definite interest in Ranma, and the Saotome/Tendo arrangement HAD been between Ranma and one of Soun's daughters, not just to Akane. Sati was reasonably certain that the girl could keep quiet about anything that happened, but... would Nabiki be willing to run the risk of becoming Ranma's chosen mate... or one of his mates. For strong males were often known to take more than a single mate in time.

Kasumi perhaps, and like Nabiki, yet another 'unofficial' fiancée. And yet, Sati had the impression that the eldest Tendo daughter viewed Ranma as more of a little brother. A handsome and attractive brother, but a brother nonetheless. Rather than as any kind of potential life mate. There was also the fact that Kasumi was far too likely to give in to the demands of her father, no matter what the consequences may be.

Ukyo Kuonji, seemed rather clingy to Sati. She would almost certainly go the same route as the fathers in insisting that Ranma marry her afterwards, despite the participation of others. Sati didn't really know the girl all that well, but from her brief encounters with the girl, and from what Ranma had written about her. Sati had the impression that the Kuonji girl was more fixated on a fantasy of what married life with Ranma would be like, rather than any possible reality. She'd keep the girl in mind, but wouldn't approach her if she could find an alternate.

Shampoo definite benefits there, but also some notable problems. The Amazon's 'Kiss of Marriage' while binding, as Were were no exceptions to Amazon Law and there weren't many who were. It is all but impossible to enforce it upon Were, for obvious reasons, not at least of which was the continuing survival of that said Amazon. Still, there were ways around such problems. The real question was would Shampoo and especially Cologne go with the offer that Sati had in mind.

Kodachi Kuno. An unknown, and had several things going against her involvement, not the least of which was Ranma's own opinions of the girl. There were also her family relations to take into consideration, as well, notably one Taeko Kuno.

Decisions, decisions, decisions... Sati was really beginning to miss the 'old days'.

Sati's attention was suddenly returned to the school yard below, as she noted the arrival of Shampoo and her subsequent glomping of a certain pigtailed martial artist. From what she'd gathered from Ranma's letters and her own observations since arriving in Nerima, this was far from being an unusual occurrence. Nor were the reactions of Shampoo's rivals for Ranma, namely Akane and Ukyo, in any way unexpected. Consisting of jealous glares, the assuming of aggressive stances and, in Akane's case, the appearance of a battle aura.

And yet, something new had been added to the equation. Even from her position upon the roof of the school, Sati had no difficulty in noting that Ranma's hands were in no way attempting to force Shampoo away from himself. Quite the opposite, in fact, as they'd descended to the Amazon's behind and pulled her tighter against him, much too said Amazon's obvious delight and the growing displeasure of two others. Naturally, it didn't take long for chaos to erupt, especially with the sudden appearance of yet another well-known Amazon, this one with notable sight impairment.

Deciding to get a closer look at things, Sati leaped down from the roof and made her way over to the developing brawl. Needless to say, she noted that Ranma was having the usual difficulties in attempting to defuse the volatile situation, what with the other relevant parties taking anything he said or did and twisting it around to favour their own biased view of the situation.

"Looks like I'm finally going to see one of these famous brawls," she said softly as she leaned against one of the trees in the school's court yard, out of the site of the others.

Ranma was busy dodging Mousse's chained weapons while the girl's got into their own fight. The Werewolf frowned as she watched the fight between the girls. Watching Ukyo fight, Sati was beginning to doubt that the girl could take a nearly full grown Lycan male. Not to say that the girl couldn't fight, she was seeming holding her own against Shampoo, but Sati's trained eye noticed that for the most part, the Amazon was holding back against the other girl.

' Well that takes her off my list.' she thought with a sigh.

"What's going on here?" Sati was jerked out of her thoughts by a high pitched childish voice. She looked toward where the voice came from, raising as eye brow at the site of young girl stalking toward the group of teenagers. Ranma and the others had stopped fighting and now were looking for a way to escape the girl's wraith.

"Delinquents!" the girl yelled as she drew out a 50 piece yen coin, "Happo 50 Yen Satsu!"

It dawned on Sati that the girl was Ranma's English teacher Hinako Ninomiya as she watched the girl turned into a sexy older woman. In her 2 million years, Sati had never quite seen something like this. Heard of it yes, many times but they were mostly rumours. But this was the first time the werewolf had seen this technique. An idea was starting to form in her head as she turned her attention to the group of drained teens that lay on the ground. She wondered in Hinako's attack would work on a nearly full grown Werewolf that needed to be kept someone under control.

"We need to talk," Sati said as she stood in Nabiki's doorway, arms crossed over her chest.

Nabiki looked up from her homework, raising an eyebrow, but waved her hand toward her computer chair for the werewolf to sit in. After closing the door behind her, Sati did just that, studying the human girl a bit as Nabiki watched her in return.

"So... just what is it you wanted to talk about?" She finally asked starting to get a bit unnerved by the other's staring.

"I know you know Ranma's little secret," Sati said as she leaned back into the chair, crossing her arms over her chest again, "And I'm glad you haven't let it slip out to anyone before we were ready. Well, before Ranma was ready anyway." Nabiki blushed a bit at realizing that she had been caught at her spying.

"Ok, your welcome I guess," She finally said, looking back down at her homework so the other wouldn't see her face, " But that's not what your up here for, is it. "

"No, there's something else I need to speak to you about," Sati said in agreement, "You heard the conversation between myself, Ranma, and Jasper when the female cub came here correct?" Nabiki nodded, wondering where this was going since she never heard the talk on the roof that had happen later. "During those first three nights, Ranma is going to have a very strong urge to ..... mate."

"Mate?" Nabiki looked up at Sati in a bit of shock, blinking eyes in surprise. Sati chuckled and nodded before stopping and thinking a bit on it.

"Well it's more like mindless sex. The point is, the cub is going to have a couple of female companions for those nights for that very act. It's just sex, no strings attached so to speak." The middle Tendo daughter looked at Sati, trying to process just what she was asking her.

"You want me to be one of the girls?" it finally dawned on Nabiki.

"Yes, out of you and your two sisters, you are the best choice. Kasumi is too proper for this and Akane will go over board about this with that temper of hers. You on the other hand seem to be able to keep a cool head about this idea and understand that it's just sex," Sati explained with a shrug of her shoulders, "Of course the choice is totally yours, and if you don't feel comfortable with this then you can decline." A thoughtful look crossed Nabiki's face as she weighed the pro and cons of this suggestion.

"Can I get back to you on this? It's a lot to think about," She finally said, sitting up on her bed.

"Yes, but there is only a week left so don't take you long to make a decision," Sati said with a nod as she stood from the chair and headed toward the door, "I think I'll go see how Kasumi is doing with dinner and see if she needs any help." Nabiki just absently nodded and stood to walk over to the window as thoughts ran through her head. As she looked down toward the ground, a confused look crossed the teens face as she watched Ranma and Jasper kick around a little... ball?

(Meanwhile)

"Just what are you doing?" Ranma asked as he watched Japer bounce some kind of ball with her feet.

"Breakin in my new hacky sack." she responded, not breaking the rhythm she had going as she bounced it high enough for her to catch with her hands.

"Your what?" as quizzical look crossed Ranma's face at this.

"Hacky sack," she threw the ball over to Ranma who caught it easily, "You bounce it around on your body, dun't let it touch the ground and you can't catch it in a game. It's kinda like a mini-soccer ball if ya had to compare it to sumthin." This time a look of confusion crossed the teen's face as he handed the ball back to Jasper. The girl blew her bangs out of her face as she took the hacky sack back. "Look, jest watch."

"Ok." Ranma watched as Jasper dropped the ball on top of her foot then started to bounce it. After a couple of minutes she bounced it back up to her hand.

"Ok, you try now. And once you get the hang of it try bouncing it back ta me." the Werewolf said as she threw her ball back over to the other Werewolf. Soon the two teens were playing a game of hacky sack, the black hair teen having caught on to the basics of the game pretty quick.

"What are you two doing?" both teens turned toward Nabiki who was standing in the door way, her arms crossed over her chest.

"He's helping me break in my new hacky sack," Jasper said, throwing the sack into the air. Nabiki raised an eyebrow, walking over to the pair and taking the ball from the other girl. She dropped it to the ground, being able to bounce it a couple of times before missing. " You play?" Jasper asked with a bark of laughter.

"I played a couple of times," Nabiki said with a small laugh of her own, "But as you can see, I'm not that good. And just how did you get so good so fast Ranma?" the older girl turned toward boy.

"Hacky sack is a lot about reflexes," Jasper offered. Nabiki 'ahed' in understanding. Ranma blushed lightly, reaching up behind his head to rub the back of his neck. "And the game takes a lot of time for most people to get any good at. Come on people, let's fucking play."

This lead to the scene that Akane came upon a half hour later. A hacky sack game between Jasper, Ranma, Nabiki, and Shampoo was going off smoothly, the ball bouncing from one person to another quickly. Nabiki getting better at it as the game went along.

"What is she doing here!?!" Akane yelled, pointing at Shampoo with her hand. The Amazon had showed up about midway through the other three player's game before being forced to join. Said Amazon was startled from the other girl's yell, hitting the hacky sack harder than she needed to and it soared toward Akane at the very fast speed. Akane's hand shot up, meaning to catch the ball and keep it form hitting her in the face. The ball slammed into her hand, knocking it back into her face and smashing into her mouth since she forgot that her hand had a heavy cast on, in the heat of the moment. Akane moaned in pain as she covered her bleeding mouth with her unbroken hand, tears springing to dark eyes.

"Shampoo think little ball make good weapon against too too violent girl," Shampoo said with a bit of a laugh.

Next night, Sati sat in one of the trees of the park, waiting in the branches for someone. She didn't have to wait long as Hinako, once again in her little girl form, skipped down the path, an ice cream cone in her hands. Sati even wondered if the child teacher would even go for what the Werewolf was about to suggest to her.

'Well, only one way to know.' the woman thought as she moved from her branch to another, getting ready to confront Hinako below.

Hinako, meanwhile, didn't even realize she was being watched by a pair of moon yellow eyes as all of her attention was on the ice cream cone at the moment. A rustling noise and the soft thud of someone landing caught her attention, causing her to look up. There was a figure in the shadow, the only thing Hinako could see was the pair of moon yellow eyes that had been watching her before. The first thing that popped into the girl's head that this was a thief, a murderer, or maybe a rapist.

'Perfect, I'll teach this delinquent that they didn't mess with Hinako Ninomiya.' Hinako thought with smirk crossing her child-like face as she dug into of the pockets of her dress to take out one of her yen coins.

"Don't you ever get tired of being like that?" Sati asked as she stepped out of the shadow of the trees into the light, "I know of a way to fix your minor problem to were you don't turn into a little girl again, staying as an adult." the werewolf commented, looking as her sharp nails, fringing boredom.

"What do you mean?" Hinako narrowed her childish eyes, still not completely trusting Sati, a lesson learned after living in Nerima for a while. But at the same time she was interested in what the other woman had to say. Truth be told, she had a pretty good idea what Sati was talking about. After all, how many people changed into a grown woman after sucking up other people's chi then turned back into a child once that energy was used.

"Before I answer that, tell me what you truly think of your student Ranma?" Sati said, looking Hinako straight in the eyes now.

"Clean up the rest of those tables, slacker." Cologne said, raising her staff lightly to threaten Mousse, who was scrubbing at the NekoHanten's tables. Shampoo was in the back, cleaning up the kitchen. The three amazons were getting ready to close the restaurant for the night. The bell about the door rang, alerting Cologne that someone had come in.

"Sorry, but we are closed for the night." she said, not bothering to look over at the door.

"Elder Kho Lon of the Amazons, I request the use of your great granddaughter and heir Xhai Pu in the Rite of the First Moon," Sati called out from where she stood in the door way. Cologne looked up at her old friend and sighed.

"So my theory was correct it seems," She muttered as she hopped toward the back of the restaurant. "Finish closing up." she snapped at Moose who had stopped cleaning to listen in on the two women's conversation. Sati followed after the withered woman, Shampoo following as well when her grandmother motioned for her too.

"Son-in-law is one of your kind?" Cologne stated once the trio was sitting down.

"Yes, and his first transformation is coming up. I would like her," Sati waved her hand in Shampoo's direction, who was quite confused on what was going on, "to be his first. But the rules of the rite still apply as usual, so you can not use this to seal the kiss of marriage."

"Well, it is considered an honour to be asked to be part of the rite." the Amazon elder said, rubbing her chin.

"Great Grandmother, what is this Rite she is talking about?" Shampoo finally asked, questions clear in her eyes.

"The Rite of the First Moon, is an honour to asked to join it," Cologne focused on the younger Amazon, "It means your husband is one of the Were, the rite asks for a young Amazon to help Lycan who has come to their first transformation late in life. It's basically sex, and it's even a greater honour to be asked to be his first." Shampoo's eyes lit up as she came to understanding on just what the werewolf was asking.

"What do I have to do?" she asked in excitement.

"Sati," Nabiki quite voice called out to the werewolf as she came into the Tendo house hold. She didn't think anyone else was really awake, having stayed at the NekoHanten for quite awhile.

"Hello cub, didn't think you would still be awake," she said, watching Nabiki. The middle daughter walked over to the older woman, bowing her head.

"I'll do it," Nabiki said with a heavy blush. 


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted. 

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Author's notes: I am so sorry this took so long. But my beta decided to take for bloody ever to write out his little part. Hopefuly, with having a good idea how the next chapter will go, this won't take so long to get out. Enjoy!

Chapter 14:

Ranma was taking a break from the training Sati was putting him through. It amazed him how much faster and stronger he had become. How his senses had changed and increased in clarity. The elder werewolf had told him they would just get better once his first transformation was complete. But that wasn't the only thing that had changed, he now had a very healthy attraction to girls. While before he had ignored their assets just like those on Shampoo, but he sure wasn't now. Even Akane had caught his eye once or twice before deciding that A: the pain just wasn't worth it and B: there are a lot of better choices around.

Also, much to his horror and to Sati's amusement, he found he had a small attraction to boys. Not to the point that he wanted to make out with them like the girls, thank Kami, and it seemed to only happen in his female form. Sati wrote it off as his female side seeing the boys as potential mates. It seemed that most humanoid races tended to be bisexual naturally except for the few odd cases like Jasper who turned out was completely straight. He had asked her about that which sent the New Yorker into a fit a laughs before telling him she just wasn't into girls.

Right now he was reading his new book, the one the old pervert left behind. He was gleeful to see so many different techniques, the true Neko-ken is one he was most interested at the moment. He was hoping that it could get rid of his stupid fear of small cats. Despite what most people were thinking or told, Ranma was not afraid of all cats. The big cats didn't bother him at all, it was small cats like house and ally cats that got to him. When he first learned that a few years ago, after Sati had left him and his father, he had written a letter to his adopted auntie. The letter he received in return told him to visit a doctor/healer she knew that happen to be near the area that the pig tail boy was camping at the time. The doctor, a man named Raziel, explained why Ranma was affected by some cats and not others...

Flashback

"It seems to me, Saotome-san, your fear of felines is select because of the way you father put you through the so called 'training'." Raziel, a kind hearted blond man who Ranma would learn much later was in fact an angel, said as he watched Ranma from across his desk.

"Whadda mean doc?" the much younger looking Ranma asked, confused still.

"Because it was house and ally cats your father put into the pit, and attacked you. You have a deep stated fear of them. But because there were no big cats attacking you, your mind and body feels no extreme fear for them. You may get a bit nervous perhaps because they resemble their smaller cousins but that's about it." the man tried to explain.

"I get it... I think..." the boy frowned as he when over what Raziel had said. Raziel watched Ranma for a few more minutes before trying to explain it in an easier fashion.

"Let me put it this way. What if your father had only put one breed of cat into the pit, like Tabbies or Siamese, then you would have a fear of that breed only. Other breeds would not bother you for the most part." The angel shrugged his shoulders. " At least that seems like what has happen here. It is a mental imprinted learned fear."

"I think I get what you're getting at doc." the young Ranma said.

End Flashback

Ranma sighed, shaking his head as he remembered that conversation. Of course it lead to the memory of the time Kuno had found out about his fear of cats and tried to use a tiger with the all small cats he had Sasuke gather. If it had only been the tiger itself, there wouldn't have been a real problem but there had been a bunch of small cats as well, which was what set off his cat mode since he couldn't get away from them. As such, everyone thought the pigtailed boy was afraid of all felines. He still couldn't figure out how Sasuke and Kuno got the tiger into the pit. Finally, Ranma looked down at the book in his lap, he would have to try to fix his problem after this full moon transformation business.

'Maybe I should look at those techniques Nabiki suggested' sensing the aquasexaul thoughts, the pages of the book flipped a bit, the words changing from the Neko-ken to varies sexual techniques.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Nabiki looked down at the lightly snoring Jasper, who was sprawled out on the ground next to the koi pond. One arm was laying over her eyes to block out the sun. Nabiki prodded her foot into the werewolf's side who only snorted a bit before turning over onto her side. The middle Tendo daughter sighed before going back inside. A moment later she came back out with a pail, the same one that Akane always used on Ranma, filling it with chilly water from the koi pond. Then with a smirk, she dumped all of the water onto the snoozing Jasper.

" AHHH, What the hell!" Jasper shoot up, falling to the ground twice before being able to stand up. The soaking wet American stood there for a moment looking at the other teen in shock before shaking off the water much like a canine, sending a spray of water at Nabiki.

"Hey, watch it." she said, holding up a hand to ward off the water from her face.

"Brought it on yourself." the other girl said as she stopped shaking. "So, is der a reason why you fucking woke me up like dat?"

"You were in the middle of the yard asleep, and wouldn't wake up when I tried." Nabiki said, waiting for an answer. Jasper just yawned, running a hand through her wet hair, and went to go find another place to lay down. " Hey! I was waiting for an explanation here."

"Ya be tried too if you'd been doin' all dis work Sati's been having me do." Jasper propped herself up against the porch, settling down. Nabiki frowned, and followed over, leaning over so the werewolf would be the only one to hear her.

"Does this have to do with 'you know what'?" Jasper nodded, crossing her arms loosely over her chest.

"Yeah, when it comes to something like this, usually there's more time ta prepare." she said, not bothering to speak as softly as Nabiki. " But most half breeds either live with a pack or near one, so there's always an eye kept on them. Same goes for the few pure bloods that end up transforming late in life."

Nabiki frowned, still not completely understanding something. "Why is this so dangerous? I can see why you need to be ready for some dangers, but the two of you seem to be putting a lot of work into this than it seems it needs."

"Because Ranma is going to take a lot more work than most." Sati said as she stepped through the sliding door. "I hadn't meant on telling you this until I got to speak to all three of you girls, but the cub's first transformation is going to be a lot... wilder than normal."

"... Why?" Nabiki asked, blinking her eyes in confusion. Now that the attention was off her, Jasper settled down to nap more, tuning out the other two. Sati shook her head a bit as she leaded against a pole.

"There seemed to be some sort of seal on Ranma's being, most likely placed there when he was a babe. It is blocking out any sort part of Ranma's true self, keeping him as human as possible. At least it was, now that the cub is older and there is no one to refresh the seal, so it is breaking apart. Once it breaks down on the next full moon, all of Ranma's pent up instincts and hormones will flood forth. It will be like an over load, so extra precautions will have to be taken in this case."

Sati sighed before looking Nabiki straight in the eyes. "I will warn you now girl, sex with Ranma will be anything but nice and gentle. He will most likely be big as a hybrid, and the sex will be wild and rough enough as it. If we don't calm him down before hand, you will more than likely be hurt, so if you want to back out now will be the time to do so." Nabiki gave it thought before a proud smirk developed on her face.

"I said I would help didn't I?"

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At the corner of the house, German listened to the girl's conversation and started to panic a bit. The seal that he had placed on Ranma was breaking? The same seal that helped him keep some control over the ungrateful whelp? No wonder the boy had become more and more disobedient as time went on. The man who made the seal assured Genma that it would never break!

Ranma was not Genma's son by blood, in fact the boy wasn't even Nodoka's, he was adopted. A strange man had given him to the Saotomes, knowing the pair wanted a strong and manly son. So what better than a lycanthrope? But the man had warned him that Ranma natural nature would come out and most likely make him a disobedient child. That had been why the seal had been put on Ranma without telling Nodoka. The twit of a woman didn't even know Ranma wasn't even human!

Now the seal was breaking, all of the control Genma had, was going to be lost! And he was bedding the middle Tendo daughter, the one of the three he wanted the least to have Ranma to marry. There was no way to control the girl! He'd rather have Kasumi or of course Akane! That was it! If he had sex with Akane, then he and Tendo could force the two to wed! And his life in bliss would be for the most part, back on track. All that would be left redo the seal. But first he had to make the boy want Akane.

'Hmm, maybe...' German quietly bounded off, it was time to do a little 'shopping'. And by shopping, I mean stealing.

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"Clubbing" Sati looked up at Jasper, raising an eyebrow at the younger werewolf. It had been a few hours since the talk between Sati and Nabiki, since then she and Ranma had gone back to training till near sunset which lead the older woman and her student to the roof of the Tendo compound. Now Jasper was perched on the edge of the roof, having come to find the other two lycans.

" 'clubbing'... and that's suppose to mean what to us?" Sati finally said, doing a gesture with her hand.

"As in let's go to a back club. I'm tired of this fucking running around, I need a really stiff drink and to be among other beings other than humans for a while." Jasper said, counting off the reasons on her fingers. " Plus I need ta see my boss."

"What's a 'back club'?" Ranma finally piped up. The pig tailed boy knew what a club was, even if he'd never been in one but a 'back club'?

" It's a phrase used for a club in the back of a club, used by the non human races. It allows them to be themselves and not hide from the humans since very few humans are ever allowed back there." Sati explained, suddenly liking this idea more and more. " Any club that has a back club is usually owned by either a human that knows about the supernatural world or a vampire, like a Tordar, or a demon. Back bars are the same thing but in the back of a bar."

"And more aren't really in the back of a club or bar, but rather under ground." Jasper added, having a bit more knowledge about these kinds of clubs.

"...Oh..." Ranma finally said, sorta getting it.

"Cub, why don't you go ahead with Jasper to which ever club she wants to go to." Sati said, standing up and stretching her arms over her head. "I'll catch up in a bit."

"Hai auntie" Ranma said as he stood as well, joining Jasper at the edge. The two were-wolfs leaped off the roof, starting to roof hop toward the main part of Nerima. Sati meanwhile moved to go inside, she knew a pair of females that needed to have a night out.

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" 'The Wild'?" Ranma asked, looking up at the sign of the club. " Isn't that name sorta...strange?"

"Not really. I've seen weirder. Come on, let's go in." Jasper grabbed Ranma's hand, dragging the pig tailed teen to the front door, by passing the line totally. She nodded to the bouncer, who smirked and nodded back, a fang peeking over his lip. He let the two teens by, much to the protest to the human's waiting in line still.

"Do you know him?" Ranma asked loudly, still being dragged by the New Yorker to the back.

"Nah, but he's a bloody vamp, he knows to let us in." Jasper said just as loudly, come up on a door nearly unseen in the back. After looking around with her bright yellow eyes, she opened the door and slipped through. After they went in, the two teens climbed down the stairs to the bottom where they were greeted but a large built were-bear. His large snout sniffed Ranma and Jasper, letting out a large toothy grin before opening the door.

"Would you like the change before joining the others?" he asked in a large guff voice.

"He can't yet but I will. " Jasper said with a smirk before shifting in front of Ranma's eyes. She grew over a foot taller, jet black fur sprouting all over her body as her ears moved to the top of her head, light glinting off her earrings. Her clothing became tighter against her body, one button done up on her top now. Lastly, a jet black tail spilled out over the edge of her top of her pants and she stepped out of her boots since they were the wrong shape to hold them.

Once that was all done, the now wolfish Jasper handed her boots to the were-bear bouncer and dragged Ranma into the back club where he encountered many, many different races.

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Ranma was amazed at how many different kinds of races there were. Jasper pointed out a few as friendly and others that should be avoided. Ranma's jaw dropped as he saw a beautiful woman with a lower body of a snake. Jasper laughed at this.

" I see the lamia caught your eye Ranma," she snickered as he turned red," you watch yourself with a lamia, dey can get very possessive."

Ranma nodded his head and turned to his left seeing something that looked like a were-fox in a kimono. Jasper followed his gaze and saw the Kitsune.

" That Ranma is a classical Japanese Kitsune. It's very rare to see one of those as they usually keep ta themselves. Ranma I'm gonna leave you by yourself for a while. I need to have a talk to someone I haven't seen in a while. So just go sit down at the booth over there and I'll come get you when I'm done."

Ranma did as she said and sat down quietly waiting for Jasper to come back. His eyes couldn't help but wonder back to the lamia and kitsune. It was difficult not to get worked up considering how attractive both of them were. The lamia was wearing a golden link necklace that only covered the bare minimum of her impressive breasts. She had bright green eyes and shockingly pink hair that was braided to just above her serpentine bottom. She had a red and brown tiger stripped pattern on her scales. The rings on her fingers were lined with some of the most expensive jewels Ranma had ever seen. This lady was definitely loaded. Ranma was giving her shapely body a once over again when she caught his eyes. She gave him a toothy grin which showed off her impressive canines. Ranma quickly averted his eyes with a heavy blush on his face. If he hadn't looked away he might have seen her give off a giggle with her hand in front of her mouth. Ranma gave another quick glance but was caught by her again.

Some thing glittered in her eyes and Ranma soon found that he couldn't avert his eyes away from hers. She leaned towards the barman and said something to him that Ranma couldn't make out over the background music. She slithered over towards him in what was probably one of the sexiest movements that Ranma had seen ever. Their eyes were still looked as she got right up next to him.

" Why hello gorgeous, what's your name?" she huskily breathed into his ear.

" R..Ra..Ranma," he said with a nuclear face.

" Ranma, wild horse eh?" she moaned his name," Mind if I join you Ranma?"

Ranma smiled shyly as she sat down right next to him. Her forked tongue quickly flicked against his ear. She was truly surprised to find that this one was not only a virgin but his first transformation was upcoming. Her smile turned devious and she changed her pheromones accordingly. She hadn't had mate in many centuries and a were-wolf always bonded to their firsts. Plus Ranma definitely seemed but a good catch.

" Could I maybe have your name?" Ranma asked with a shaky voice, but relaxed slightly as something in the air changed.

" Oh how rude of me. My name is Raka Ralara, but please call me Rara."

" Nice to meet you Rara," he said with a nervous smile.

" Oh the pleasure is mine Ranma," she breathed with a smile," so Ranma what brings you to my club?"

Ranma only now realized that she had not only wrapped her arms around him, but also that most of her snake body had wrapped around him as well. Now was definitely not the time to be rude and oddly enough he was actually pretty comfortable with her around him.

Rara smiled as she felt him relax into her embrace, the pheromones were definitely doing their work. She almost let out a laugh at how easy it was, but she couldn't get rid of the feeling that Ranma had something extremely special to him. This only served to make her want him more.

" Well, Jasper got me to come with."

" Jasper? As in Sati's friend?"

" Oh you know Aunty?"

This teen had gotten the attention of Jasper and Sati. There was no doubt now that Ranma was definitely special. Sati was one of the ancients and for him to be related to her was making this union sound better by the second.

" So you're related to Sati in blood then?"

" Oh no, she's not my real aunty," he said with a smile," but she took care of me for a while when I was younger."

Not a blood relation, but for him to call her aunty definitely meant they had a meaningful relationship. Sati still owned her big for that one time and this young were-wolf had sparked her interest. The smile on her face grew immensely now, this was just too good to be true. Sati would have a very hard time saying no to Rara's request to court Ranma, as the two of them went way back.

" Oh I know Sati quite well actually. We've known each other for a long time. Actually she owns me big time for this one little thing I did for her."

" What's that Rara?"

" Nothing really...oh Sati's at the door," she finished with a smile.

" Huh?"

Ranma turned his head towards the entrance and saw Sati with Nabiki, Shampoo, and Kasumi. Rara stood up with Ranma still in her tight embrace and waved at them. Sati caught sight of them and nearly freaked. She put her face into her hand and groaned. There was someone she didn't expect to see in a long time, with Ranma tightly wound within her arms and tail. This was not good, Raka seemed to have taken a keen interest in Ranma and the look in her eyes was also hard to miss. Sati knew this was going to hell, she not only owed the lamia a lot. She got the dreadful feeling on what exactly this sexy snake would ask as repayment. Ranma's life just got that much more complicated.

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Earlier that evening

"Nihao!" Shampoo called, skidding her bike as she came to a stop in the Tendo's yard. Tonight she was going to take Ranma out on a date, since she and her 'husband' were going to get better acquainted soon. True, she knew the raven haired teen was going to sleep with two other as well for this transformation thing, and she couldn't use this ritual to complete the marriage bond. But that didn't mean she couldn't get Ranma to take her on a date and hopefully convince him that she was the right choice to be his mate.

Of course after she finally had Ranma, Shampoo wasn't against her husband taking one or two other wives as well. As long as they understood she was the head wife of course. It wasn't unusual back in the tribe for the Amazon men to have more than one spouse, after all, there was so few of them in all the tribes and they needed a way to spread the genes. Of course that caused problems of their own with interbreeding, something magic couldn't even fix for them. Which was the reason why the laws were there for outsiders, though most were useless or pointless in this day and age. Right now a new attempt to get new blood into the tribes, both the one Shampoo was from and the two other sister tribes, was in effect. Many Amazons, mostly female but a small handful of the males too, had gone out into the world looking for spouses. Some where here in Japan, some combing the other parts of Asia. Some had even gone to the States, Europe, and Africa in search of spouses. Not that this was a well known fact, after all, it wasn't outsiders business what the Amazons were doing unless it directly involved them.

Back to the point, Shampoo left her bike leaning against the wall and bounded inside.

"Nihao!" She called again, poking her head in several down stairs rooms and not finding any one. Not even too too nice girl. Shampoo huffed a bit, placing her hands on her hips as she tried to figure out where Ranma and the rest of people living at the Tendo home were. Her ears perked up at a low murmur of voices coming from upstairs and bounded up them, following the sound to the room that had Kasumi's name on it. The teen opened the door, quite surprised at what she saw behind it.

Kasumi stood in the middle of the room, her face as red as a tomato as Sati and Nabiki made adjustments to the outfit she was wearing. It was a sleeveless, corset style dress that was all the way down the front with a black ribbon, large pockets near the bottom and a ruffled skirt attached. Plus she was wearing a pair of leggings that had black and white strips along the whole length. Also to complete the outfit, Kasumi was wearing a pair of black heels with a red ribbon laced up the back of each of them. Plus she was wearing a pair of dangling earrings that had a red stone at the end of them and necklace that had a butterfly on it. All in all, the outfit wasn't all that revealing but it was much less that Kasumi was use to wearing. At the moment, Sati was doing the girl's make up while her sister put the finishing touches on the outfit.

"Ruuu, what going on here? Why too too nice girl done up like that?" Shampoo asked, a bit shocked to see Kasumi dolled up like that. Now that she was looking at the other two, the Amazon noticed Sati and Nabiki was dressed for a night out as well. Nabiki was dressed in a pleated miniskirt and a white corset top had billowy sleeves that were tied at the wrist before spreading out again over her hands and was lined with black along the edges of the top. Plus a pair of black pumps and a black chocker necklace. Sati on the other hand had a pair of tight black leather pants on with a tight T-shirt that had a white HIM Heartagram in the middle of the chest not to mention a pair of boots that were nearly up to her knees and had buckles and straps on them.

"We're going clubbing tonight. Kasumi-chan here just needed help with her outfit." Sati said, ignoring the mutterings of 'This is very improper' from Kasumi. "If you're looking for Ranma, he's already gone ahead with Jasper to the club."

"What? Airen go on date with other girl?" Shampoo yelled, already turning around to go and find her future husband and beat Jasper to a pulp. As such, the Amazon yelped in surprise when she was grabbed from behind and easily lifted up a few inches in the air.

"Now now cub. No need to go off all in a huff. Ranma's not on a date with Jasper." Sati said, arms locked over Shampoo's stomache, not even flinching as the teen kicked at her. " Their just at the same back club, your more than welcome to come along and see for yourself if you don't believe me." the werewolf added, soothing the ruffled girl until Shampoo calmed down. After which, Sati let her go and turned back to finishing Kasumi's makeup.

"Alright, Shampoo coming with Wolf girl, too too nice girl, and money girl to club." Shampoo agreed. After all, she had to make sure no one would try to take her husband.

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Nabiki looked around the club, 'The Wild', amazed though she was mostly able to keep it off her face. 'The Wild' was a very good name for the place, the music was wild and so was the dancing. The people out on the floor outfits made her and her sister's look very tame and it seems Kasumi agreed if the blush on the girl's cheeks was anything to go by. But it really blew her mind once the werewolf led them down stairs. The werewolf, now fully transformed in hybrid form, vouched for the three girls for being among a bunch of non humans. Now Nabiki didn't bother to hide her wonder, they were surrounded by creatures from legends, plus her manga and anime.

Speaking of legendary creatures, one was coming toward them and she had Ranma wrapped up in her coils.

"Sati... who and what is that?" She asked as she leaned in close to the werewolf, who looked less than happy to see the snake woman.

"That... is Raka Ralara, or Rara as she prefers to be called. And to what she is, well now of days most people call her a Naga but truly she's a lamia. She's an... 'old friend.'" Sati said this with distaste.

"You don't sound too happy to see her." Kasumi said, her hands clasped in front of her.

"At the moment I'm not." Sati manages to mutter as Rara and Ranma finally came up to the group of females.

"Hello Sati, I haven't seen you in so long." Rara said pleasantly, uncoiling herself from around Ranma to lightly hug Sati briefly. The moment the lamia let go of the teen, Shampoo attached herself to Ranma, glaring.

"Yes, a really long time." Sati agreed with false niceness. " I'm guessing life has been good for you."

"Oh yes." Rara agreed with a nod of her head, grabbing onto Sati's arm and starting to drag the other female away. "Oh, there's something I must speak to you about!" With one last 'help me!' look thrown over her shoulder, Sati was lead away, leaving the group of teens on their own.

End

OokamiShiroi's notes: Well I hoped you enjoyed the story. I've been helping out USA-Tiger with her stories for a while now, but it's the first time she asked me to write a small section for any of them so far. Any way leave a nice review as to encourge her to write more.


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted. 

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Author notes: I have got to say, writers block is a bitch. I'm sorry took so long, but there was days when I couldn't figuer out what to write. And I'll try not to take as long with the next chapter, thanks to the lyoal and patient readers who are still sticking with me.

Auther Note 2: Ok, this is the second version, hopefully I have all the error's fixed. Also, if my beta's are reading this, my old hotmail account has be deleted due to a mistake so I have a new one with

Chapter 15

It had been roughly an hour since Sati and the girls had shown up at the club ' The Wild', owned by the Iamia Rara. It had also been an hour since Sati had been dragged off by said Iamia for a talk, leaving Ranma, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Shampoo by themselves since Jasper was nowhere to be seen either.

A bat girl, aka furry, slid up with a giggle to Ranma, her winged arms clasped behind her back. "Hi there handsome. Wanna dance?" She asked before jumping back a bit as a growling Shampoo appeared in front of her.

"He Shampoo's Arien so back off bat girl" The Amazon teen said, glared heatedly. So she was a bit shocked when the bat girl laughed and grabbed her hand.

"Oh, you can join in too!" the bat, who was of the fruit bat type, said as she grabbed Ranma's hand as well and dragged the both of them to the dance floor. Nabiki blinked, watching as the two youngest got dragged off by a hyper bat girl.

"Well that was unexpected." She mused, turning to speak to Kasumi. "Wasn't it sis...Um... Kasumi?" She blinked her brown eyes as she realized that Kusumi wasn't at her side. The middle Tendo started to look around for her elder sister, finally spotting her on the dance floor in the arms of a tall handsome man. Who had pointed ears and strange markings on his face, which pointed out the fact he was in no way human.

"It seems all of your friends have abandoned you pretty lady." A smooth low voice said from behind Nabiki. The girl turned around and tilted her head up to look at the owner of the voice. Said owner was a very pale skin young man with silver tipped black long black hair with bangs that swept into his icy blue eyes. He wore a tight black leather outfit that showed off his lean from.

"Yeah, I guess they did" Nabiki agreed, turning to fully face the man. "I'm Tendo Nabiki."

"I'm called Colby" Colby held out his hand to Nabiki, smiling charmingly. "Care to dance Nabiki?" The Japanese girl looked at the other's hand for a moment before shrugging and taking hold of the man's hand. She shivered a bit as she thought in the back of her mind that Colby's hand was cold as ice but the thought left her mind quickly as the pair hit the dance floor. Colby brought Nabiki's body close to his in a fast pace dance.

Colby lead Nabiki through several songs, hands petting over the girl's from. A slow song sounded over the club's speakers, Nabiki turning around to where she was facing her partner. Her slim arms wrapped around Colby's neck while he wrapped his arms around the girl's waist. As they rocked to the slow dance, Colby slowly lowered his head to Nabiki's neck, opening his mouth slightly to reveal needle sharp fangs. As the vampire dug his fangs into Nabiki's neck, a hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt and jerked him away. Colby's fangs sliced Nabiki's skin as he was dragged off her, the girl slapping a hand over the wound to slow the bleeding.

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Sati frowned as she looked for the group of teens, it was getting late and she was missing two people in her group, Kasumi and Nabiki. She had rescued Ranma and Shampoo from the bat girl after her little 'talk' with Rara, with Jasper showing up a few minutes later muttering under her breath. Kasumi she couldn't tell to come on since the girl was a grown woman and on top of that she was quite charmed by her demon dance partner. Who seemed just as charmed with the human woman and Sati trusted the male demon not to do anything to harm Kasumi.

"Alright, spread out and look for Nabiki. Meet by the exit in 10 minutes." Sati finally said, heading one way to find the middle Tendo daughter. Ranma and Shampoo headed another with Jasper a third. Kasumi was found in the meantime during the search and told they were heading home and not to wait up on them. It was Jasper who found Nabiki in the arms of a vampire and pointed it out to Ranma since the younger Lycan was a few feet away. Just in time for the two were's to see Colby lower his head to the Brunette's neck and starting to take a bite.

With a deep growl, Ranma rushed forward and grabbed the vampire by the back of the shirt before bodily dragging Colby away. Colby squawked, not expecting to be bodily dragged away from his meal.

"You bastard!" Nabiki yelled as she slapped her hand over the bite marks on her neck. She couldn't believe it! She was almost a snack for a vampire! The girl resisted for a moment when she felt Jasper pulling at her hand, still glaring heatedly at Colby who was too busy struggling with Ranma to notice, before letting the American werewolf taking a look at the damage. Nabiki wasn't surprise to hear the other start cursing in English.

"Come on, we gotta get that washed out right quick." Jasper said, tugging Nabiki in the direction of the restrooms. The other girl followed after a moment, still wanting to inflect pain on the vampire who did this to her. A gasp escaped Nabiki as a thought suddenly accrued to her, remembering all the vampire books and movies she read or seen over the years.

"I'm going to be a vampire" she said as she paled greatly.

"I doubt that, come on already!" Jasper said as she walked through the crowd, dragging the stunned Nabiki behind her. The girls made it to the bathroom, the loud music cut off as the door swung shut behind them.

"What you mean you doubt that? I was just bitten by a fucking vampire, I read books, people turn into a vampire that way!" Nabiki said, barely keeping her clam front.

"Don't believe every fucking thing you read in books." Jasper said as she grabbed a bunch of paper towels, wetting them before pressing them to Nabiki's neck. "Like Lycans, there are several types of vampires. The clans that turn just by bite alone is rare, that ass hole out there is from a clan that has to have to exchange blood for someone to turn."

"Huh, wha... You mean like in some of those American movies?" Nabiki asked as she processed this information.

"Yeah, every legend or story has some truthfulness to it. Vampires are no different. There's yer three basic types that each needs a different source: Blood, Chi, and Energy. They all split into different types, or clans, that are different from each other usually depending on who the first of that clan was." Nabiki felt silly and foolish about her outburst. And for the fact that after everything Sati had told her about the Lycan races, it never accrued to her the same would apply to other so-called mythical races.

"So you're sure I'm not going to turn into a Vampire?" Nabiki asked, wanting to be sure, finally going back completely into her cool facade. Jasper took away the bloodied paper towels to get a good look at the cuts on the human girl's neck.

"I'm sure. Ya can tell by tha scent" Jasper said as she got a fresh set of paper towels. " Ah don't think it will scar. He'd scrapped ya petty bad but not as deep as I thought."

"Great" Nabiki said, stepping away from Jasper to look in the mirror at the cuts.

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While Jasper and Nabiki were in the restroom, Colby ripped himself from Ramna's grip, spinning around to face the teen with a snarl on his lips.

"What do you think your doing crossbreed!?!" Colby spat out the word crossbreed.

"Keeping you from snacking on one of my friends" Ranma replied, a growl in his voice. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing off a set of fangs that could rival Ryouga's. Colby bared his own sharp fangs, getting ready to lunge at Ranma. A large, furry hand-paw descended on the vampire's shoulder, stopping his movements and lifting him in the air. A large were-grizzly held on tight to Colby while a slightly smaller were-tiger coxed a miffed Ranma into Shampoo's arms.

"Oh Colby, causing trouble in my club again are we?" Rara asked as she slithered up, brushing her fingers over the irate vampires jaw. " you know how I feel about that, your making my customers uncomfortable." In truth the Lamia cared less that the vampire was trying to get a drink from a human, but the girl was a friend of Ranma's and being on his side would give her a point on her claim on the boy. "Take him outside boys." Rara said, turning away from her bouncers.

"Wait, I've got one last thing to say to him" Nabiki said, stomping up with Jasper following behind.

"Well she looks pissed" Sati said, surprising Ranma and Shampoo as she popped up behind them.

"Where were you Auntie?" Ranma asked, cocking an eyebrow at the elder Lycan.

"Watching, I wanted to see how you handled yourself. I didn't quite expect you to get in fight with a vampyer so soon, but you handled yourself for the most part." Sati commented, assessing her student's abilities. "But we still have to go over some things"

Meanwhile, Nabiki stepped up close to Colby, and gave the vampire a cold smile. She placed her hands on the man's shoulder before jamming her knee up into his crotch area. Colby gave a grunt of pain, sliding to the ground, holding onto his abused privates.

"You ever come near me again or try that trick on someone I know, I'll make your life a un-dead hell" Nabiki hissed, kicking Colby in the gut for good measure before turning and stalking away.

She stopped and grabbed Ranma by the arm before dragging the stunned teen out, much to the amusement of Sati and Jasper while Shampoo raced after to save her Arien.

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The next morning had two blurry eye females, namely Nabiki and Sati, sitting at the table nursing coffee mugs. Nabiki wore a pajama top with a high neck, hiding the still healing bite marks from her father and Akane. Kasumi came in, placing plates of food in front of her family, looking as cheerful and happy as always despite coming in late from the club. Ranma sat beside his father, looking deep in thought, absently snapping his chop sticks at Gemna when the older man got too close to his food. Today was the day he and the girls headed out to the woods and tonight was the first night of the full moon. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was nervous. This was a lot different that changing into a girl with cold water or any of the other things that happened to him over the last few years.

He was also loosing his virginity that night, and it was very possible he could hurt Shampoo or Nabiki in the process. And who ever else Sati had chosen to sleep with him, the older Lycan hadn't told him just who it was yet, just that it wasn't her or Jasper. Or any of the other girls that he was engaged to marry for that matter.

"Well cub, ready for our training trip?" Sati asked once she felt she was awake enough.

"Yep!" Ranma said with a nod. Akane's head lifted at this, frowning.

"What training trip? How come none of us knew about this?" She asked, looking around and noticed her father duck his head a bit behind the paper. "Wait, you know that pervert is going on a 'training trip' with that demon?"

"Well... Sati had mentioned a few times that she was stepping up the training she was giving Ranma and was taking the boy on one." Soun said, lowering and folding the paper. "I had thought you had known as well as the rest of us."

" Don't worry cub, we'll be back in 4 or 5 days." Sati said pleasantly, causing Akane to huff a bit. Sati mentally sighed, the girl's attitude was getting annoying. She was also being to think that Soun never properly disciplined his youngest daughter, even spoiling her. Of course, that was really none of Sati's business nor did it mean it was true, it was only her opinion. Just like some of the girls at Akane's school thought she might be a lesbian.

"I'm not worried." Akane muttered, going back to her breakfast.

"Well, speaking of not being here, my class is taking a trip so I'm not going to be here either." Nabiki said, only half telling the truth. Her class was taking a trip, she just wasn't going with them since she was going with Sati and Ranma for the boy's whole transformation thing.

"Wait, you still got school Ranma." Akane piped up again. Ranma rolled his eyes and leaned his chin onto his hand.

"As much school as we missed during the last year with all the crap that goes on, do you really think it matters?" He asked, feral looking colbot blue eyes boring into the youngest Tendo. She was quite sure his eyes didn't have a feral look in them before. " As long as the works made up, the teachers don't give a damn."

"He's right sis." Nabiki said, thinking it over. " After all, as much school you and him miss, you still moved up a grade. But there's something bothering me, how does Ryouga, Shampoo and Mousse get away with it? Non of them go to school."

"Ryouga's homed school, it's the best thing for him. He can't make it to school everyday with out help with his lack of direction, so he takes school with him." Ranma explained. "It was something I had suggested not long after I met him because I had to do the same thing when me and Pop's was on the move. Pop's didn't like it but it was the only way he could take me on that long ass training trip."

"It makes sense, as long as he keeps up with his school work, he's up to school level with Ranma and Akane or even Nabiki." Sati said, not mentioning the fact it was her that made Germna allow Ranma to take home school courses. "As for the other two Nabiki, it's pretty much the same. Cologne home school's her great granddaughter and Mousse. She doesn't trust the school system to teach Shampoo what she need's to know."

"Yeah, to make crazy potions and leaning how to be an Amazon warrior" Akane remarked, finally finished with her breakfast and pushing the plate away. Kasumi breezed by and picked it up on her way to the kitchen. Sati snorted softly and shook her head.

"Oh how wrong you are child. Despite what you think, the Chinese Amazons very much know what is going on in the world, they just chose to live a more simple life. They often send tribe members, both man and woman, out into the world to either learn what they can or to collect news on what is going on. There are healers in the village that are trained as doctors as well. If the ancient ways of healing doesn't work, and believe me some of it is better than some modern medicine, then they can fall back on today's meds." Said explained, pausing to sip her coffee. " Cologne does train Shampoo in laws and ways of her tribe, after all Shampoo will one day be the leader of her village. But if you were to talk to her about subjects you learn in school, I'm willing to bet she would know them just as well as any other student."

"Well she doesn't act like it, she can't even speak proper Japanese." Akane argued still.

"She's not native to Japan, and there's plenty of foreigners who can't speak other languages very well outside of their own. Maybe if she had learned as a child that might be different, after all children have an easier time learning such things. But before Ranma, she had no reason to learn." Sati countered again. " Besides, even I have a problem with some languages. It took me nearly 100 years to speak proper English and almost double that to speak Japanese. My native tongue was much different from either of those. With the exception of my oldest child, it's a dead language now and no one can even remember it never mind speak it. Young Jasper and Ryouga might know, at the very least they has the ability to learn it"

"Huh, why?" Ranma asked, wondering what it was Ryouga could do that he couldn't.

"Because they're both are linguist. Ryouga out of necessity to be able to make his way around every where he goes. Jasper on the other hand in a treasure hunter, she also travel's around the world and learned that way plus it makes her job easier. Her father Silvereye is a treasure hunter as well, he use to take his cub with him during the summers." Sati explained. After that, the discussion was brought to a halt as a clock Kasumi had gotten chimed it was time for school, sending Akane running off in a flurry off on her own.

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Later that morning, Sati and Ranma was seen walking out the door, ready to head on their 'training trip', which in a way it was. On their backs were a pair of traveling pack, mostly for show since there was no plans of sleeping in the middle of the forest in tents and sleeping bags when they had a perfectly nice cabin to stay in. The plan was to leave on foot and walk to the other side of Nerima and take the van Sati had rented to the cabin. Nabiki, who had left not long after Akane to give the illusion that she was going on a school trip, was to meet them there along with Jasper, Shampoo and Hinako Ninomiya at the van. Ranma didn't know that the third girl was in fact his child-like teacher, and he wouldn't know until they got to the meeting place and it was too late to back out.

Sati had made sure she had taken the time explain everything to Nabiki, Shampoo and Hinako, making sure Hinako swore on her life that she would never reveal Ranma's 'little' secret. In exchange for helping and keeping her mouth shut, Sati would help her regain and keep her adult form with out changing into a child again. The teacher thought it was a fair exchange and happily took the offer.

But at the moment, Sati had something else on her mind other than the next few days actives, not that those were far from her mind. Something was strange about her adopted cub's scent. It was becoming less and less human, which made no sense at all. When she had first met Ranma, stuck in the throes of the Neko-ken for the first time, Sati had been able to smell the werewolf in the boy, but it had been mixed with human showing he was only a half breed. But now the human part was all but gone and replaced with something else that Sati couldn't quite put her finger on. It made no since and shouldn't be possible for him to loose his human blood like that. Unless it had something to do with that seal put on Ramna as a child. It was something the elder Were had to look into.

"What's Ninomiya-sensei doing here Auntie?" Ranma asked, snapping Sati out of her thoughts as the teen stopped short suddenly.

"She's going be been one of your bed mates Cub." Sati said, holding up her hand to stop any protest the boy had before they started as Ranma opened his mouth again. "Trust me Ranma, she already swore that she wouldn't tell anyone about your new status. In exchange, I will help her keep her adult from. Also that coin trick of her's will come in handy in case you start to get out of control. I'm not saying that you will, but I rather be prepared in case you do." Ramna's mouth snapped close during this, sighing as his shoulders slumped a bit.

"Alright Auntie. I may not like it, but you know more about all this than I do. I don't wanna end up hurting anyone if it can be avoided." Ranma agreed finally, resuming walking to the van. Sati sighed lowly in relief, she had been a bit worried that the boy would react a bit worse than that but it showed how mature her 'son' really was despite what other people thought of him.

Ranma greeted the girls, and nodded to his teacher, as he threw his pack into the back of the van on top of the other bags there. He did the same with Sati's bag as she handed it to teen. Shampoo latched onto his arm, leaning her head onto his shoulder and smiling prettily up at her 'husband'.

"Shampoo very happy to help Arien tonight!" The Amazon teen said.

"Heh... thanks Shampoo. Say, where's the old groul, I would've thought she'd tag along too" Ranma remarked, looking around for Cologne.

"Great Grandmother say she think Shampoo is able to handle on own, stay behind to look after restaurant and keep eye on stupid duck boy." Shampoo said, letting go of Ranma's arm and climbing into the one of the seats in the van. Ranma shook his head before jumping as Jasper appeared at his side and spoke.

"We haz got ta work on her language skills." The American said, watching the Amazon.

"This coming from someone who doesn't speak proper English?" Nabiki asked as she walked by to get into the van.

"I'm from New York so it's called an accent. 'Sides, at least I don't speak in tha third person. That iz what we need ta work on." Remarked Jasper with a shrug, turning and climbing onto the dirt bike Ranma remember from the first time Jasper showed up at the Tendo Dojo. He was a bit surprised he hadn't noticed it before.

"Time to quite day dreaming Cub." Sati called as she climbed into the driver's seat, Hinako taking the passenger's side. Ranma sighed and climb in, closing the door behind him and taking a seat. Once everyone was ready, Sati turned the engine over and pulled out of park, heading down the street with Jasper following behind on her bike.

---------------------------

"Whoop!" Ranma sighed as he watch Jasper for the third time send her dirt bike spinning in front of the van, just barely avoiding getting hit.

"Does she got a death wish?!" Nabiki asked in alarm as she watched out the window of the other side of the van. Sati chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

"She's a thrill seeker and an adrenalin junky" Sati explained, honking the horn when Jasper passed in front again. " The more dangerous, the more of a rush of adrenaline she gets. Alright there cub?" She looked back briefly over her shoulder at Ranma.

"Hmmm? Yeah, sure" He said, looking up at the elder wolf. His legs was jumping, showing how wired he really was.

"Well don't worry, we'll be coming up on the cabin in a minute or so." Sati said as she turned in the bend. And true to her word, up ahead was a two story cabin settled nicely in between the forest trees. Jasper ended her wild ride and rode up to the cabin, parking her bike at the side. Sati drove the van up beside it, killing the engine. "Alright, everyone out!" she chirped as she threw open the driver side door. The three teens in the back plus one child-like adult followed suit, stopping long enough to grab their bags before going into the cabin.

"Oh, this is really nice." Nabiki said, quite pleasured with what she saw. The inside was quite modern, with a decent size kitchen off to the right of the front door. Then there was a dinning area with a large living room like one a few feet away complete with comfortable looking leather couches and chairs in front of a large TV next to a fire place. There was two other doors on the ground level, one that lead to a back porch and the other to a large furo. Off to the side was a set of stairs that must have lead up to the bed rooms.

"Ok guys, this place only has three bed rooms, but two of them have two beds each. Nabiki and Shampoo, you will share one room while I share one with Hinako-san. Ranma you have the single bed room since Jasper already called the down stair's couch." Sati explained, heading straight for the stairs so she could put her things up. The other followed after, thinking it was a good idea while Jasper flopped onto the couch to watch TV. A few minutes later Ranma came back down, have only dumped his bag into the corner of his room, sitting on the other end of the couch. He stared at the screen but wasn't watching what was on the TV, much more distracted by the up coming night.

---------------------------

"Alright you three, all of you need to stay inside for now. You can watch from the upstairs window but during this first part of the transformation, it would be to dangerous to be around Ranma." Sati explained to Nabiki, Shampoo and Hinako. It was finally night, sun having already set, and moon rise was only minutes away. " Once we have him calm and closer to being in his right mind, then your part will be up Shampoo. You remember everything I told you?"

"Hai, Shampoo remember" The younger Amazon said, standing proudly.

"Good, then just wait until the signal then." Sati said as she turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Up ahead in the clearing in front of the cabin Jasper and Ranma was waiting on her.

Jasper looked up in the sky for a moment before looking down and reaching up to start undoing the buttons on her shirt, shrugging it off before grasping the edge of her fishnet and starting to pull it over her head.

"Wha-what the hell are you doing?!" Ranma asked in surprise as he watched her.

"What does it look like. I don't want my clothing to get destroyed when I go full wolf if I can avoid it." Jasper said, toss the fishnet to the side, leaving the upper part of her body complete nude since she hadn't been wearing a bra, before going for her pants. "If you gonna save yer shirt and pants, I suggest ya do tha same thing."

"You have no problem with getting naked in front of someone you barely know?" Ranma asked, a bit surprised. Getting nude in front of other guys or someone you was with was one thing, but he only met Jasper a month before and she didn't hang around often by the Dojo.

"That's a human line of thought." Jasper said with a roll of her eyes. " You'll find quick that outside of the human race, all others have to problem with showing off der bodies." Ranma frowned and turned to look at Sati as she walked up.

"She's right, most non humans aren't shy about their bodies." Sati said with a shrug of her shoulders. Ranma sighed then turned and started to strip himself. Soon, both of the teenaged werewolves were nude, Ranma holding his hands slightly in front of his crotch area, before all three turned their attention to the horizon.

"Here we go" Jasper said as the moon started to come up, the light making the three lycan's eyes glow, Ranma tensed up, heart beating fast. Finally, the moon had risen fully, casting full light over the woods and hitting the trio. Both Sati and Jasper both quickly fell to the ground on all fours, their bodies growing bigger and quickly sporting fur while taking on a wolf shape. Soon a large gray bitch wolf and an even larger black one stood, watching a very pain first transformation of one Ranma Saotome.

-----------------

Ranma grit his teeth for as long as he could before he gave up and gave a pained scream. The pain was much, much worse that when he was attacked by the starved cats when he was 9. Much worse that the first time he turned into his girl form and more than all the things his fat lump of a father put him through. He was almost convinced that the pain he was in at the moment was worse that anything that happened to his insides from Akane's cooking! Or her mallet!

Ranma fell to the ground as his bones snapped and reshaped in a much different way that when he turned into his female form and he couldn't help but wonder for a very brief moment if this was how Gemna, Shampoo or even Ryouga felt the first time they changed into their cursed animal forms. He could hear and feel his bones snapping all over as his legs and arms changed, his back screamed in pain as his spine became more flexible and a tail started to grow out of the end of it. His pained screams were cut off as his face started to stretch out into a wide, longish muzzle while his ears crept up the side of his head to the top, changing shape into round things that flatten against his head.

Hands and feet were shifted into large wide paws with wicked sharp claws while his blue eyes sharpened in site and gained cat like slits. Finally dark gray fur with black strips spouted over the boy's new body while his mind became more feral. A low growl rumbled in the back of Ranma throat as the pain finally ebbed away and he turned to face the two females, eyeing Jasper who growled in response with hackles raised and lips pulled back from razor sharp teeth. Ranma leapt at Jasper, sending the two young weres tumbling off into the trees while Sati watched them for a moment before turning toward the cabin and leaping toward it. A hop and a leap allowed the elder werewolf access to the slanted roof, transforming into her hybrid from so to speak to the girls.

"Why black were girl fight with Arien?" Shampoo asked as she watched Jasper kick her hind feet into Ranma's under belly, throwing the bigger Lycan off her.

"They're both alphas, in most were creatures clans and packs, the leader position isn't just limited to males. Females have taken the place of alpha plenty of times, it's instinct for the pair to duke it out. It will last until Ranma gets a hold on his instincts." Sati explained, watching the pair below.

"I've got a better question, why does Ranma look like that. I thought he was just a werewolf, did something go wrong?" Nabiki asked, quick to point out that Ranma looked like a smoothly blended cross between a tiger and a wolf.

"That... I'm not sure of yet." Sati said with frown. " I think it has to do with that seal, because the cub has lost all human scent he had."


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Chapter 16

"Just what do you mean by 'Lost all human scent he had'?" Nabiki asked dryly, eyes still glued to the fight below, though it appeared Ranma wasn't fighting as hard, every now and then shaking his head as if he was trying to clear it.

"It's just as it sounds. When I first met Ranma, his scent smelled of a mix of human and Lycan wolf. But now that I think back on it, there was a faint scent of feline mixed in with it but I had always assumed it had to do with the Nekoken." Sati said, ears flattened a bit and rubbing her chin.

"What does the Nekoken have to do with anything?" Nabiki asked, finally turning all her attention to Sati.

"The cat fist does very strange things to ones body, giving one a few feline like abilities when taught correctly to humans since it was intentioned to be taught to the various cat races of the world. It still leaves a huge imprint even when it's not. But, not long after the first full moon after Genma was stupid enough to try and teach the boy the Nekoken, the seal that trapped Ranma was starting breaking down. I had no idea it was strong enough to do this to him. It fully trapped a full blooded Lycan, though from two different flavors of animals, making him seem at least half human"

"You ever saw a seal like that?" Nabiki asked. Sati nodded her head slowly, watching below as Ranma finally seemed to get a hold of himself, somewhat at least, sitting back on his hunches and panting heavily, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

"I've seen something like this, used mostly on half humans by human parents who don't want to be reminded of the non-human parent. But never one completely like this nor have I seen a like this on someone who's not human to begin with. I will have to think about it, perhaps Happosai's book will have something on it." She stated, somewhat lost about this new development. At the moment though, it mattered not since Ranma had seemed to get a grip on his wilder side. "Alright Shampoo, be prepared for when I call you down."

With that, Sati leapt from the roof onto the ground below and walked up to the two panting teenaged weres. Ranma growled softly as the elder approached, feline like blue eyes looking up at her.

"You better have a better hold of yourself than that cub." Sati said as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at the younger boy. "Or I will not help you learn how to shift." Ranma gave an apologist look, whining softly. "Alright cub, I forgive you. Ok, first watch Jasper to get an idea what to do."

Ranma turned his attention to Jasper, watching closely as the female teen slowly changed her body. Her large lupintine form became closer to human shape, her front forelegs shifting into arms and large paws closer to hands. The rest of her form followed suit, her blackish brown hair growing back out from her scalp.

"Now, try the same thing yourself Ranma, it's a part of you to do this." Sati instructed, sitting on the ground in front of Ranma. It will hurt a bit but nothing you haven t handled before. Close your eyes and consintrate on yourself. Think about what Jasper had done, do the same."

Ranma closed his eyes and looked into himself.

* * *

"Do you understand a word they're saying?" Nabiki asked as she watched with rapt attention.

"No, sound like yips and barks to Shampoo." Shampoo said just as much attention on the group on the ground. Hinko had left to go lay down, wanting to sleep rather than enjoy the show since she was going to see enough of it tomorrow. "Like dogs or wolves."

"Hmmm, I think their some yowls mix with Ranma's. Maybe it's their native language." The Japanese girl mused, tapping her fingers on her chin.

"Look, money girl! Arien is changing!" Shampoo exclaimed pointing toward Ranma as the boy changed much the same way Jasper did moments before. Though it looked much more painful and slower than what the female Lycan had done, by the time he was done, Ranma was panting heavily once again while leaning on all fours. "Ayia, Arien is gorgeous"

"Hmm Mhmm. And just think, tonight, that piece of man meat down there is all yours" Nabiki said with a smirk as a dazed and happy look entered Shampoo's face. Nabiki was a little jealous that Shampoo was getting first crack at Ranma now that the boy was going to be than willing to rut it out, so to speak, but also remembered the dangers Sati had told her about. Out of the three of them there, Shampoo was the strongest and would be able to handle what Ranma did to her.

* * *

"Very good cub." Sati praised, reaching down and helping Ranma stand. The teen stumbled slightly, not quite use to his new body. "Don't worry; you'll get the hang of moving around soon."

"This is... strange but feels right at the same time." Ranma said as he slowly started to walk around, testing his new limbs out. The tail hitting his legs every now and then was very distracting.

"Well this is a natural form for you Ranma." Sati pointed out, amused as the teen glared at his tail. Learn to work with that tail, move with it. It will help your balance." The elder Lycan helped Ranma get use to his new body, using Jasper as an example every now and then. It only took an hour or two for Ranma to get use to his new from, even working with his new limb. It was a good thing Ranma was a fast learner.

Ranma was still over run by his instincts though, currently circling around Jasper with an odd gleam in his eyes. Sati sighed; children who started their transformations young were so much easier to deal with than teenagers with repressed hormones. As she watched Jasper growl, teeth bared and taking a swipe at Ranma's head when he came just a bit to close, Sati figured now was a good as time as any to let Shampoo play her part in this and let her adopted cub get his sexual frustrations out.

Sati turned to the house and made a signal with her hand before growling at Jasper. The younger female nodded before knocking Ranma hard upside the head to distract him before leaping into the air and hiding in the trees, followed closely by Sati. Ranma paid no attention to this as a new scent caught his attention, a female in heat. The Lycan quickly spun around to face his new prey.

* * *

Shampoo noticed Sati's signal, quickly shedding what little clothing she had been wearing before starting to climb out the window.

"Have fun" Nabiki said with a smirk as she watched the purple hair girl.

"Shampoo plan too" The Amazon responded with a smirk of her own before jumping down to the ground below. Nabiki sighed before turning away from the window and went to lay down on one of the beds.

Shampoo slowly made her way over to Ranma, being carful not to give off changeling vibe. Her breath hitched in her throat as Ranma turned his attention to her, licking her lips as she gazed over his toned, furry body. She stopped a couple of feet in front of the other teen, leaning her head back and bearing her throat to Ranma as the Lycan stepped closer to her, pressing his cold nose against her skin and tongue snaking out to briefly lick at her neck. The Amazon teenager couldn't help the small shiver of excitement that raced through her body.

Ranma's head became slightly clouded as his instincts took over as he lapped softly at Shampoo's skin, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this female but at the moment he couldn't care less where it was only that she was a submissive female and was willing. His large hands started to run themselves over the girl's body, claws lightly scrapping the skin leaving behind thin red marks. One hand cupped Shampoo's ass, lifting her slightly off the ground while other tangled in her purple toned hair before he pressed his mouth up against her's in a dominating kiss.

'Ayiah, this is much different from kissing a human' Shampoo thought to herself as she moaned softly, Ranma's muzzle was shaped very differently and at first it made the kiss a bit awkward, something the girl soon got over and opened her mouth for the larger teen's wide, flat, slightly rough tongue.

Feeling a bit braver, Shampoo brought her hands up to wrap around Ranma's neck, eyes closed in bliss. She could feel the proof of Ranma eagerness, pressing against her neither region, moaning again as she ground herself up against the werewolf's hard-on. Ranma gave a half purr/ half growing moan as he started to lower the two of them to the ground, never breaking the kiss between himself and Shampoo.

- Lemon removed, link to full chapter in profile -

Ranma groaned as the bright sunlight hit his eyes. He lifted a furred hand up to block the light.

"Ayia, stop moving" Shampoo said sleepily from where she was pillowed on top of Ranma. Ranma startled a bit, having forgotten the girl had fallen asleep with him last night. A deep blush heated his face under the fur but he wasn't embarrassed as he thought he would be as he looked down the naked girl using him as a bed. He looked around finally, looking for a way out of the position he was in.

"You look like you re in a spot of trouble" Someone said behind him, making Ranma tilt his head back to see who was behind him. He was now looking at an amused looking, upside down Sati. Sati knelt down next to her adopted cub and the Amazon girl, the amused look never leaving her face. The elder Lycan was in human from, having shifted back after moonset.

"You gonna get me out of this?" Ranma finally asked, his ears moving to lay flat against his head.

"You had sex with the girl last night cub, surely you can carry her inside the cabin" Sati said, laughter in her voice. Ranma scowled at Sati but reasoned she was right, gathering Shampoo up in his arms, the girl much smaller than him now that he was in hybrid from.

"Geez, how did she..." Ranma didn't even finish his question, not really wanting to know the answer. He just shook his head and carried the Amazon girl back into the cabin. He passed a sleep mussed Nabiki who was heading into the kitchen to make herself coffee and a hyper Hinko-chibi who was in the living room part watching cartoons. On the other end of the couch sat Jasper who looked like she was sleeping instead of watching what ever show the child-like teacher was watching. None seemed to notice a naked but furred Ranma carrying an equally naked Shampoo to and up the stairs. He easily found the room Shampoo and Nabiki had been sharing, laying the Amazon girl on the bed that wasn't covered in the middle Tendo daughter's scent.

From there, he went into his room and grabbed a pair of loose pants, pulling them up over his differently shaped legs and frowning at how uncomfortable it was to have the band settle under the base of his new tail. The pants were a little tight as well and the ends of the legs came up half way up the shin, making Ranma forgo a shirt and going back down stairs.

"Why do I feel so different from last night?" Ranma asked as he saw Sati, who was busy pouring Nabiki a cup of coffee.

"The full moon does more than force the change of shape to our bodies. It also brings out our more basic and primal instincts." Sati said as she poured herself a cup. "It makes a Lycan wilder; it what make's the legends."

"But in all the year's I've know you, you haven't seemed any different on a full moon than any other night" Ranma said as he sat at the table, folding his arms on the table top. "I can't say the same for Jasper, I barely know her"

"As you get use to your true form, you'll be able to curve your wild side if you wish" Sati explained before taking a sip of her coffee. "Some Lycan's don't but which ever your choose, you must remember to keep your self in check so you not only keep from revealing yourself to a world that for the most part only sees you as a legend but also to keep from hurting anyone."

Ranma nodded then shifted a little as the band of his pants rubbed under his tail again.

"How do I change back?" Ranma asked, reaching behind him to pull his pants down a bit so it wasn't bunched up under his tail.

"It's simple; just concentrate on your human form. But..." Sati held up a hand, stopping Ranma from closing his eyes and changing back. "It'll be better if you stay like that for a while. The more your stay in that form, the more at ease you'll be with it. It's recommended for newly changed children and teenagers."

"Well can something be done about my pants then, it keeps rubbing at my tail." Ranma asked, tugging at his pants again. Sati laughed softly, ignoring the miffed look her adopted cub gave her and the tired amused chuckle Nabiki gave, as she walked around the hybrid Lycan and gave a look over at the problem Ranma was having. She hooked a finger into band of his pants, lifting her other hand up and holding out a finger.

Nabiki watched with rapid attention as Sati's thick nail became longer and sharper before she used the now claw to rip a tear into the top. That done, she pulled up the pants until Ranma tail, which was bushier than a tigers tail but slimmer than a wolfs, covered in the same dense dark gray fur with black stripes, was seated nicely into the notch. Then she produced a safety pin out of thin air and used it to close the top of the hole.

Ranma was looking down at his arms, noting for the first time the black stripes that lined his arms that reminded him of a tiger.

"Auntie... why am I striped? Last I knew, wolves don't have stripes." Ranma asked, looking back up at Sati as the elder Lycan came back around in front of him.

"They don't, but a Lycan who's parents are a werewolf and a weretiger, well that's another story" Ranma frowned as he processed this while Nabiki held up a hand to get Sati's attention.

"I'm confused, how can a tiger and wolf make a baby? Aren t they two different species of animals?" Nabiki asked before draining the last of her coffee.

"Yes, if we're speaking of normal creatures. Canines and Felines are unable to produce offspring together. But lycan's are not normal." Sati began to explain. As we are in a way part human, our DNA works differently. We can breed with other races of Lycan animals as well as other races of humanoid races."

"Like people who are only half human" Nabiki said, remembering stories about people who are half vampire in video games, movies or her mangas.

"Yes." Sati agreed with a nod of her head. "Human's DNA will mix with most any other races."

"I thought you said I was a half breed" Ranma finally said, still frowning.

"I though you were, until last night. I did tell you briefly before that there was a seal on you to keep you Lycan self locked away but it had broken down." Sati waiting until Ranma nodded to show he remembers. "Well... it seems it was a lot stronger than I thoughts. Did you bring that book that Happosai left behind?"

Ranma winced slightly then shook his head. "I left it in a hiding place back at the Dojo; I didn't think we would need it." Sati sighed then nodded her head.

"Then looking up the exact seal used on you will have to wait. But the point is I was wrong. You re not a half werewolf like I thought but a crossbreed werewolf/tiger."

"So we know Genma isn't my dad but we still don't know if Nadoka is my mom" Ranma mused, walking over to the fridge and opened it to look for something to eat. He was starving; having not eating the night before after Shampoo tired him out.

"Wait, since when did you know Genma isn't your dad?" Nabiki asked a bit shocked at the news. Sure, she had her own suspicions that the two Satomes were not really father and son but she had no proof. "And what's this about Aunti Nadoka not being your mom?"

"Think about Nabiki, Ranma is a full blooded Lycan from two different types of animals. Genma is human, baring his panda curse. His scent doesn t mark him as Ranma's father. I can't say for sure about Nadoka because I have yet to meet his mother so there's a chance she is either a werewolf or weretiger but somehow I have a feeling that's not the case." Sati explained as Ranma came back over with a slice of steak, eating it raw.

"Why?" Nabiki asked giving Ranma a small look of disgust as the younger teen ate.

"No Lycan would leave their child to the care of a human parent that is not prepared to take care of a young were. Surely she would have prepared Ranma for his transformation years ago but if Ranma is adopted then it's likely she has no idea that Ranma isn't human. That seal would lock away his true self, making him seem complete human. He kept him from changing early in life as he likely would have."

"If Genma and Nadoka isn't his parents, who would be?" Nabiki asked next before slowly sipping on her coffee.

"That I don't know. You would be surprised how often Lycan children are kidnapped by either humans, certain clan of vampires or by some other race." Sati said, watching Ranma lick the juice of the steak off of his hand.

"What for?" Nabiki asked a puzzled frown on her face. Sati sighed sadly as she thought over the reason.

"Slavery, experiments, fights, many things. Vampires like to use werewolves as slaves and body guards, hence the reason why so many packs hate vampires."

"So that legend is true?" Nabiki asked learning yet another thing is myth vs. truth.

"For the most part. Some types of vampires and werewolves have a deep natural hatred of each other, some packs like I said hate vampires because they are made into slaves and then there are vampires and werewolves who get along just fine."

"Yeah, my best bud is a Dhampir but my partner slash rival in treasure hunting is a full blooded vampire." Jasper said from behind Nabiki, making the other girl jump in startled fright. Ranma couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at the site. "I love Trisha like a sister but Baslie is an ass."

"Don't do that!" Nabiki bit out as she turned to glare at the American. The dark hair teenager just gave her a fanged grin, the way the pointy tooth peeked over her lip reminding the middle Tendo daughter of Ryouga for one brief moment. It was a fang thing.

"We're somewhat getting off the subject" Sati said, bringing the three teenager's attention back to her. "The thing is, if Nadoka Saotome is not Ranma's birth mother, which is starting to look like that's the case, there's only a slim chance that we'll find his real parents. Most non-human's don't submit their DNA for testing so finding them that way would be out and there's the fact we have to consider that their dead"

"This is getting complicated" Ranma said, having been licking off the steak juice from his fingers before but was now rubbing his forehead.

"Nothing we can do about it now, we'll try looking once we get back to the Tendo Dojo." Sati said, watching as the other's nodded in agreement. In the background, Hinko-chibi grabbed a remote and turned up the volume on the TV, trying to drown out the voices behind her so she could hear her cartoons.

* * *

Genma frowned as he looked over the spices and herbs he had gotten a few days ago. It was time to bring that unruly whelp under control. He would marry Soun's youngest daughter so he could happily retire and mooch off the two of them for the rest of his days. All he had to do is get Ranma to sleep with Akane, with these certain spices and herbs in her food which he had be secretly feeding her once he had them in his procession. According to the person he stole... err... borrowed them from, they made the subject who ate them more desirable to a werewolf.

The fat man growled softly under his breath as he tucked away the bottles of spices and herbs into a bag, as he reminded himself that the ungrateful whelp was more than likely completely out from under the control of the seal that the man he had gotten Ranma from assured him would never break.

'Should have know better than to trust that man' Genma though to himself as he finished packing away the bottles. The panda-shape shifter had tried to find the man, whose name he was never told, to try and reattach the seal but he didn't find the man. And now it was likely to late but he could still put Ranma back under his control by the way of Akane. All he had to do is get Ranma to bed the girl so he could force them to marry, then since he heard werewolves mate for life, he would have to stay with Akane.

"Now to get Tendo to agree to take the girl on a little 'training' trip." Genma said as he went to go look for his old friend, they needed to leave now if they were going to find Ranma. The only thing he was worried about was Sati but he was sure he could distract the female werewolf long enough for Ranma to sleep with Akane. It would be painful but worth it. Also, he needed to figure out where the boy was taken. 'It is too bad the middle Tendo girl is gone on that school trip, she would be able to find them... I think'

* * *

"Alright, come at me again" Sati instructed Ranma as the younger Lycan took up a battle ready position again. She, for Ranma was in her female form, was panting softly from her workout while in her hybrid form. This from was close in looks to her male form but instead of dark gray fur with black stripes, the gray had been replaced by reddish brown making the black stripes stand out. She also didn't have any sweat glands, as she found out soon enough from the workout Sati was giving her.

"Auntie... can we take a break?" Ranma asked, her tongue coming up to lick her nuzzle then shook her head after she did. She couldn't get use to doing things like that. "This panting thing is distracting."

"Well, I suppose now is a good time to take a break" Sati agreed, dropping from her relaxed stance. Ranma grinned, tongue still sticking out from between her bottom fangs, before going over to where the rest of group was. Both Nabiki and Jasper were in lounge chairs sunning, Nabiki in a bikini with a reflexive mirror for tanning while Jasper was wearing a red one with a small yin-yang in-between the breast area with her arms folded behind her head. Ranma reached into cooler between the two girls and took out a bottle of water. His teacher was inside sleeping.

"You'll get use to the reactions your body is doing at the moment, cub." Sati said as she walked over too. Like Ranma, she was in hybrid form but was not panting as bad as the other Lycan. "You must remember that we are animals that were able to take human form, but we are still animals. You have a disadvantage of begin half wolf and half tiger; you have the reactions and instinct of two different types of animals in your blood."

"I'll just have ta remember not to get into a fight in this form, my opponent would be able to beat me easily cause I'd be thrown off by the panting." Ranma flopped down the ground between the girls, leaning her back against Nabiki's chair.

Sati chuckled softly, sitting on the edge of Jasper seat, causing the younger Lycan to move her feet. "You will get use to it cub, soon you will get use to the actions and it will not bother you. But only with practice, once you are rest, come at me again."

"Hai Auntie-sensei." Ranma agreed with a sigh, her head dropping down to her chest. Sometimes Sati was more demanding and harder in her training that Genma was.


	18. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Chapter 17

"Where are we going Mr. Saotome?" Akane asked as she followed after Genma, dressed in her yellow gi with a large pack on her back and arm still in a wrist cast.

"To a secret training ground" Genma grunted as he climbed over a log. "You want to knock that ungrateful son of mine down a few pegs, don't you?"

"Of course" Akane agreed, but still suspicious. "But I still find it hard to believe you are offering to train me to beat Ranma."

"The boy needs to learn that he still has plenty to learn and that he is isn't unbeatable" Genma said in expiation. Akane leveled a look at the overweight man's back, the fact that he wanted to train her at all, when she knew he often said women were weak, and to train her to beat his own son... the offer was too good to be true. On the other hand, it would be *great* to make Ranma realized that *she* was the strongest martial artist in Nerima, not him.

'And after I beat him into the ground, I'll make those two demon hussies leave next' Akane thought with a smirk, she had no love for Sati and Jasper annoyed the hell out of her.

'I hope we find that whelp soon before she realizes I have no true intention to train her' Genma thought, stopping for a second before choosing a random direction in hopes it would take them to wherever Ranma was training.

Too bad they were not even in the right forest.

* * *

"AAAAHHHH" Nabiki held up her hands to try and ward off the cold water that Ranma was shaking off her form, having just come out of the water of the pond.

"Ah! Too too funny, money girl get wet!" Shampoo said with a laugh, standing well out of range of the water so it would not trigger her cursed from. Nabiki was sure there was a yipping laugh coming from the direction of the pond as well, but she was too busy glaring and huffing at Ranma.

"Damn it Saotome!" She said as she grabbed a towel to wipe water from her face. Ranma reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, a sheepish look on her face.

"Sorry Nabs" She said, barely grunting as Shampoo pounced on her, arms wrapped tight around her shoulders.

"Arien agree to go on date with Shampoo now?" She purred in her head, nuzzling soft fur.

"Err, Shampoo... ah..." If she could have, Ranma would have been blushing under her fur, wondering how she could decline the request without hurting the Amazon's feelings.

"Remember Shampoo, this isn't to be used a right to claim Ranma as your husband." Sati warned as she came up with a plate that contained lunches for all of them.

"Shampoo remember, Shampoo hope Arien more open to idea dates with Shampoo now" The girl chirped letting go of Ranma and bouncing over to take the plate from Sati.

"Personally, I don't see why it would be a bad idea." Sati commented, sitting on the edge of Nabiki's lounge chair, ignoring the choking noises Ranma was making in the back ground.

"Auntie!" She yelped finally.

"Oh come now Ranma, it wouldn't hurt you to go on a date with her. It's normal for someone your age to go on dates." Sati said while picking up a hamburger from the plate as Shampoo sat it down on top of the cooler.

"For one, both Akane and Ukyo would both kill me for different reasons and two, Shampoo will think I'm gonna marry her if I date her!" Ranma said as she waved her arms in the air. Sati laughed softly and shook her head.

"Dates do not equal marriage and as far as Shampoo is concerned, you are married to her." Sati said, amusement shining in her yellow eyes.

"Yeah Ranma-honey" Nabiki drawled slowly as she stretched back out on the chair again, picking up her drink. "She calls you 'Husband' all the time." Ranma continue to sputter for a few seconds before throwing her hands up in the air and going to sit with the others to eat lunch.

"You know, I fail to see the whole deal your putting up with the idea of being married to her" Jasper, who had been in the lake swimming, said as she pulled herself out of the water and walked over dripping wet. "If you re not gay, what the hell is the problem? Most guys I know would love to have a bouncy, willing girl like her on their arm."

"It's a bit more than that; Ranma is engaged to marry my sister AND to marry Ukyo." Nabiki said.

"Yeah, I remember being told that when I first got here, that Ukyo girl was hot under the collar 'cause she thought I was here to marry him" Jasper said, pointing at Ranma-chan. "I don't know that much about arrange marriages but wouldn't the contract with your family been broken *when* he was promised to another girl?"

"Usually yes, but it seems Genma does not see it that way" Sati said dryly, never had a very high opinion about how the man raised his son (by blood or not). If it hadn't been illegal for her, Sati would have taken Ranma the first day after awakening him from the Nekoken, but she had to obey the human world rules and without proof, the law wasn't on her side. Genma, despite everything, was very good at covering his tracks when it came to Ranma most of the time.

"It's a matter of honor too" Ranma added before shoving a whole sandwich in her mouth.

"Yeah, well no offence but thanks to your father, your family s honor is pretty tarnished Ranma." Nabiki pointed out. "Cause he keeps making and breaking engagements for you, which in itself is a pretty outdated practice in itself"

"You would be surprised how many places still practice arranged marriages" Sati commented. "Many of the old races still set up arranged marriages."

"Yeah but Genma can't really expect Akane to really marry Ranma here, can he?" Nabiki asked with a frown. "I know she is gonna wait until she's of age and then tell Daddy to jump off a bridge about the whole thing."

"Wait, if she plans on doing that, why the hell does she treat me like I'm the butt of all her problems." Ranma asked sitting up straight, ears perked up. "It's not my fault... for the most part... that all that crap happens and I don't try to go out of my way to piss her off."

"She's jealous and got an anger management problem?" Jasper suggested, putting her in two cents on the youngest Tendo daughter.

"Sadly, the American mutt is right for the most part" Nabiki said. "Akane-chan believed before your came that she was the best in Nerima and all the boys gave her a lot of attention. And while she doesn't like Kuno-baby, she did love the attention. Then you manage to defeat her in a sparring match the first night you get here without even touching her barring flicking her on the back of the head."

Jasper cracked up hearing that while Shampoo scoffed at how weak the 'kitchen killer' was. The American's laughter was cut short and a thoughtful look crossed over her face.

"What's with the look?" Ranma asked, seeing it.

"It kinda occurred to me that Akane might not be a weakling." Jasper said. "Compared to you guys, yes she sucks but to normal people not so much. She could come close to kicking my ass as a human"

"Shampoo think wolf girl wrong" Shampoo counted with a scowl.

"Hey, not every werewolf is gonna be as strong or as talented in fighting as Sati or Ranma are. Me, I'm just a run of the mill girl wolf, sorta" Jasper said, pointing at herself. I m stronger than a human but all I know how to do is a little street fighting. I've never had a teacher and if Akane was to challenge me to a real fight like this, I think she would be able to land a few hits. Hybrid form, it's less likely cause I'm stronger and faster in that form."

"But isn't the were blood what helps give Ranma an edge in his fighting?" Nabiki asked. "I'm not saying that he still isn't the best martial artist in Nerima but it's a big part isn't it?" Sati started to laugh softly, shaking her head.

"Sweet moon, where in the world did you get that idea?" She asked as she got her laughter under control. "Up until over a month ago, Ranma was almost completely human thanks to the seal he was under. All of the training Ranma has had over the years is what made him so strong and quick. With his blood and body correcting itself back to what it should be, it has only increased some, at least in human form. There is a reason our human forms are the weakest form after all."

"So... his were blood has nothing to do with his abilities?" Nabiki asked as her theories were dashed to pieces.

"Not growing up, the seal on him should have repressed his non-human blood to the point he was really human." Sati said with a shake of her head. "I'm still not sure how it works on him without study and I can only hope it was in Happosai's book. I think it was a combined effort of the Nekoken and the Jusenkyo curse with his age that helped break down the seal to the point it would break on its own."

"How ya figure that Auntie?" Ranma still wasn't sure on the whole seal thing, even after she had taken her to the side after breakfast to explain her theory.

"Well, I can only guess the seal was created to suppress your wild animalist side and to stop you from transforming." Sati took up another sandwich, giving it a nibble before continuing. "With the Nekoken 'training', you were forced into a wild state with a very feline mind, which only helped with the fact you are in fact half cat. That part of the seal would have started to break down. Then there's the part of the seal that would have kept you from changing form. With your curse to change from male to female, that part of the seal was over come and started to full break down over time. The more your curse was activated, the more it would break down.

"Of course, I have no way of knowing if this is the case or if my theory is correct until after I get some sort of chance to study it. Magical seals of this kind are usually used on someone who's at least half human so they have something to work with. Full blooded nonhumans make it a lot trickier." Sati popped the last part of the sandwich in her mouth. "But it is the most likely theory. As it is, I'm not sure how the seal fully affected you and how it changed your curse."

"Changed his curse?" Nabiki asked confused. "Ranma-baby here still changes from male to female with cold water. How is that changed?"

"Yes, that part is the same but the cub fell into the spring of the drowned *human* girl. Anything that falls into that spring becomes a human female version of their selves. But, as you can see, Ranma now changes into a female version of his natural from. If the curse worked like it was suppose to, he would see be human while a girl. He's not the first were of any breed to fall into that spring." Sati explained.

"So... how did that change then?" Ranma asked confused.

"I'm not sure; Jusenkyo curses are very tricky things. It could have been the fact the seal, which had been powerful enough to all but turn you into a full human for life, bled over into your female from when it finally broke. It could have been something else completely, all the curses react differently and sometimes the way it acts for one being could react a different way for another being." Sati said. "The energy in that place comes from a lot of different sources. Magic, demonic powers, it even lays on a lay line. All together, it makes it very chaotic."

"Wait wait wait, as interesting as this all is this is off track on what I was asking. Why are you defending my sister? I thought you hated Akane?" Nabiki cut in, pointing a finger at Jasper. "Anyone who watches her knows she's a horrible fighter."

"Yeah, she's weak and her temper gets the better of her." Ranma said while Shampoo nodded in agreement.

"Violent-girl make bad-bad Amazon" Shampoo said. Jasper sighed and rolled her eyes, looking at the three other teens.

"That's 'cause yer comparing her to you and the rest of ya buddies" the American pointed out. "You, the Amazon here, and them other's are like super powered fighters almost like sumthing out of a video game or sumthing like it, so of course she weak seemin'. But, compare her to a normal regular person, or sum martial artist that isn't like yall. That's why I said she could land a few good hits in I bet, I ain't some super powered fighter, I barely made a bigger dent that she did in that metal girder a few days back and I still bruised my hand over that"

Nabiki frowned slightly, tapping her finger against chin as she thought about what the two female werewolves were saying.

"You know... she might be right. Akane use to enter a bunch of competition both in Nerima and around other sites in Japan and she usually did very good." Nabiki said, thinking back on it. "But she stopped going to them after you and Uncle Saotome showed up Ranma"

"... your joking" Ranma said, raising a red color eyebrow.

"Violent girl was champion?" Shampoo asked, just as shocked as Ranma.

"I just forget about it all in the rush since you showed up Ranma-baby. It's all be chaos since then" Nabiki shook her head, laughing in disbelief, she use to make so much money off of Akane that way! "And I'm still surprised that your defending Akane-chan" She added to Jasper.

"Dun't get me wrong Nabs, I really dun't like your sister all that much. She's almost like some spoiled little preppy girl that thinks she better than everyone else. But" Jasper held up a hand to stop any comments that were coming her way "on tha other hand, it does get a little annoying ta hear yall go on and on about how bad and weak of a fighter she is. I may not like her attitude but even I'm willin to admit she's not as bad as that. And if you think she's bad, why doesn't anybody fuckin' train her for real?"

Shampoo huffed a little and shrugged her shoulders. She could care less about the kitchen destroyer as long as the girl didn't get in her way in snagging Ranma as her husband. Ranma on the other hand, felt just a tiny bit bad. She always had mixed feelings when it came to Akane, sometimes the girl could be really nice and was cute when she smiled. But more often than not, Akane's temper would get the better of her and on top of that, Akane was not at all trusting when it came to Ranma.

Nabiki sat back into her lounge chair and thought about it all, Akane was her younger sister that helped make her a lot of money to help keep the bills paid. With all the chaos that followed Ranma, she had stopped paying attention to little things like that for her sister if it didn't involve making her money. Akane stopped going to her competition, so she stopped paying attention to it. Funny that it took a gaki that didn't even like Akane all that much to point out how unfair it all was.

* * *

"You look like yer thinkin' really, really hard" Jasper said as she padded over to Ranma, who was human and male at the moment. He was sitting on the roof of the cabin looking out over the lake and forest. He glanced up at Jasper, who had shifted to her half-way state at some point, as the other were sat beside him.

"Where's Auntie?" Ranma asked, turning his attention back to the lake.

"Inside getting that teacher lady ready for tonight. Gonna do something to keep her from turning into a kid for now on after tonight" Jasper said with a shrug. She was use to seeing weird things, a human female that changed from a little girl to a grown woman and back was hardly the strangest thing. "So what cha thinking about anyway?"

"... Akane. Some of the stuff both you and Nabiki said... hell, thinking about my whole messed up life." Ranma said, reaching up to fist a hand into his hair. "Ain't nothin about my life is normal. I go from being raised by a man who can't think about anything but himself most of the time who not only engages me to a bunch of girls, mostly to feed his fat stomach, but also takes me to a curse training ground and me ending being a girl.

"Then turn around that fat bastard isn't even my dad and I'm not even human at all to begin with. And I still have to deal with a girl who blames me for everything and has pretty much stated that she ain't marrin' me. Then a girl who I see is my best friend who also wants to marry me but I thought was a boy for years!"

"Well you know she'll a girl now don't cha? Can't you see her as a possible girl-friend?" Jasper asked as she leaned back on her hands.

"I still only see Unn-chan as my sister at best. I missed her over the years, and I'm sorry I never realized she was a girl but I had always thought as 'him' as the brother I didn't have." Ranma hung his head and sighed. "Finding out Ukyo was a girl was a little shocking but I'm still not all that interested in her beyond her being my best friend."

"Well the few times I've seen her, she doesn't feel the same way" Jasper pointed out. Ranma sighed softly, leaning his chin onto his hand.

"I know, Kami knows she's made that clear plenty of times. And I've tried to make it clear that I didn't want to marry her without hurting her too much. Her family honor has all but been destroyed thanks to Pop and the only way to restore it is to kill me or marry me I guess." Ranma frowned, huffing softly. "Hell, I don't really want to marry any of them. All of them want me for some messed up family honor or cause Pop did something to them. Shampoo and Kodaichi is about the only ones who are really my fault I guess and at least their honest in what they want."

"Who's Kodaichi anyway? She's about the only one of your motley crew I haven't see or met" Jasper asked, tiring to place a face with the name.

"She's Kuno's younger sister. Crazy as a bat and wants to marry my male self but kill my female one" Ranma explained. "Be happy you haven t met her"

"I did see a girl at rich-boy's house, she left and I followed her to a dance school." Jasper said. "She was showing a bunch of little girls the basics of Gymnastics. She didn't look to crazy to me"

"Hnn... that can't be right" Ranma said with another frown, that didn't sound like crazy Kodaichi at all. "Must have been someone else you saw..."

"Meh, maybe" Jasper said, shrugging her shoulders, she didn't care one way or another. She was asked here to keep werewolf hunting Kuno boy busy while Sati trained Ranma until he was able to defend himself. Of course, that got derailed a little bit since she was dragged into helping prepare for the first transformation nights. They were lucky that other than wondering around Neirma, the Kuno werewolf hunter seemed happier to be mooching off his cousins. "Still, what cha gonna do about all this?" Ranma sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"That's it, I just don't know. Seems no matter what I decide, my family's name is ruined and honor damaged." He said softly. "Almost everyone that's here either wants to kill me or marry me. Which sucks cause I like to think if we wasn't all fighting, they could all be really great friends."

"Hey, correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as we can tell your adopted right?" Jasper asked, glancing over at the other were. Ranma nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this. "So... if you kinda think about it, it's not really your family's name, so you re kinda in the clear in that"

Ranma blinked then frowned as he though over that statement, he supposed it was one way to look at it. If he went with that idea, then maybe he could get out of most of the arrangements he was stuck in, Shampoo being the only one he couldn't at this time. Then he shook his head and looked at the other were.

"No, Auntie's right. They adopted and raised me, at least pop's did, and legally I'm a Saotome." He said with a sigh.

* * *

Nabiki frowned then sighed as she leaned back from the window where she had been listening to Ranma and Jasper. She didn't put the stock in the 'family honor' much like her father did, but then again Soun was stuck on tradition. Something none of his daughters, not even Kasumi, followed like he did. Kasumi was stuck at home taking care of the house and their father but Nabiki knew in her spare time, her sister was taking on-line collage courses. Both she and Akane planed on going to collage once they were out of high school. Akane was even talking about going to the USA, mostly to get away from the forced marriage to Ranma.

And Nabiki was starting to really feel bad for Ranma, the younger boy seemed like he felt he was trapped and blamed for everything by everyone.

"Do... do husband really not want Shampoo?" Shampoo asked from the doorway, she had heard Ranma too.

"I don't know if Ranma knows what he wants" Nabiki said as she shut the window and turned to look at the purple hair girl. "Why are you asking that now? Ranma has told you plenty of times he didn't want to marry you but that never stopped you before"

"Shampoo knows but... Shampoo not hear that tone of voice from Arien before" Shampoo said softly, rubbing her arm. "He sounds..."

Lost? Depressed? Like his world is ending?" Nabiki supplied. "I don't know if it's that bad but think about Shampoo, Uncle Saotome is constantly reminding him and Akane that they are suppose to get married. Add on top of that what he thought was his best *guy* friend is really a girl who wants to marry him then there's you, who came here to kill him then to marry him"

"But... but he defeat Shampoo!" Shampoo protested.

"Sham, those laws of your only apply to your village, the rest of the world doesn't care" Nabiki said bluntly. "You try to kill someone anywhere else; you would be thrown in jail or worse. Half the stuff you do would get you in jail anywhere else in fact, Nerima is so weird is the only reason why we're not all thrown into jail as it is"

"But Shampoo is already shamed back home, punishment worse than being forced to train on cursed grounds if she go back without Arien" Shampoo said, putting her hands on hips.

"Well maybe you should try to get to know Ranma better, try to make yourself more appealing to him. Throwing yourself at him, using potions, blackmail and running over his head with your bike isn't the way to make him like you" Nabiki said. "And all the fighting over him isn't helping either. Let me ask you something, is it like Ranma said, are you only wanting to marry him because of some obscure law in your village or do you really love him?"

Shampoo bowed her head, reaching up to absently run her fingers through a lock of hair.

"Shampoo... Shampoo want marry Arien first cause he too too strong man and make good strong children" She said softly. "But longer Shampoo spends out of village, more she see how world not like village. Village have some things from outside world, medicine and books and even richer villagers have TV's, but life in village is warrior's life. Women are leaders and protectors of village, men place in home taking care and protecting children."

"Do you really think Ranma would go for something like that?" Nabiki asked with a shake of her head. "He's been taught that a woman's place is in the home, in fact most of the world has hand this mine set for years"

"Shampoo know, and Arien would not be force to stay in village if he no want" Shampoo said, looking back up at the other girl. "Lots time outsider men no like our life and rebel. Sometime village sister leave with new husband to live in his world. Lots time husband not live with wife, live in town down mountain where wife can visit. Children spilt then, wife take daughters while husband raise sons. But now, Shampoo not sure if elders will let Shampoo marry Ranma"

"Why not?" Nabiki said surprised.

"Ranma now lycan, lycan never would accept life style, not even in town for men" Shampoo explain. "Elders in past try to force lycan men to live in our village, lot of village was destroyed. So elders decide that while would love lycan blood in amazons to make stronger, not worth risk. Lots times, wife decides to leave so can be with husband. So answer money girl questions... at first Shampoo after Arien because it law and tradition but now... Shampoo would leave village if mean stay with Ranma, Shampoo give up future as leader for Ranma."

"And what if Ranma chooses someone else to be his wife?" Nabiki asked.

"Shampoo share, lots of men in village shared between village sisters. Is sister wives." Shampoo said. "Arien choose me when think still human, would have helped him choose other outsider girls as wives, new blood for village. Only when outsider defeat village sister do we try kill or we see as weak link or make sure she not attack village. If outsider woman save Amazon woman life or second wife to husband, is adopted into village and is new sister. Shampoo share with Spatula girl, is strong but not kitchen destroyer, she is an obstacle"

"Akane would never go for that even if she was open to marring Ranma" Nabiki said. Shampoo tilted her head as she looked at the older girl.

"What about you? Would money girl be open to sister wives?" Shampoo asked, making Nabiki blink then tilted her head back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hmmm... I don't know." She admitted. "Getting married isn't high on my list of plans right now"

* * *

"Shampoo share Arien with Money girl and Spatula girl." Shampoo said as she headed for the door. "Shampoo just putting out there" she added before slipping from the room.

"hmm" Nabiki tapped her chin as she thought over what Shampoo told her.

"Alright cub, you should be in a lot more control tonight" Sati said, standing across from Ranma in the clearing near moonrise time. Both were already in hybrid forms, Ranma only wearing a pair of extremely tight boxers. Up in a nearby tree sat Jasper while Nabiki and Shampoo watched from the house. By Sati's side was Hinako in child from, wearing a long bath robe. The elder werewolf turned to her next. "Hinako, after you drain Jasper I'll use the last of the pressure points to lock you in your true adult form. It will finally destroy what Happosai did to you and in the morning, your two personalities should merge fully."

"I understand... it will be nice to finally stay an adult" Hinako said with a wistful smile then turned to Ranma. "But don't think this is going to help you in school Saotome-san, if you and your friends misbehave, I will still punish you"

"Yes Sensei" Ranma said, his ears flicking backwards as he could hear the snickers from the house.

"Right, I believe its show time everyone" Sati said, looking up in the sky as the moon started to come up. Ranma s eyes closed as he felt the moon's pull on his senses, bringing the more wild part of him to the surface. His auntie was right, while the edge was still there; he had a lot more control over himself. He opened his eyes as he heard Sati call Jasper over and watched as Hinako brought out her 50-yen coin and pointed it at the female werewolf, the coin held between her pointer and middle fingers.

"Happo Fifty-yen Satsu!" the coin started to draw energy from Jasper, making the girl groan as she felt her energy leave her. As the stolen energy flowed from jasper to Hinako, her body changed from a preteen girl to a very curvy adult. Jasper collapsed to the ground as the attack ended and adult Hinako tossed her hair over her shoulder. "That's better" she said, untying her bathroom and letting it slip down to her waist as she turned her back to Sati. Sati moved Hinako's hair over the other woman's shoulder and started to press the pressure points on her back that would undo the damage that Happosai made and allow Hinako to stay in this form.

Ranma mean while picked up Jasper and carried her over to the cabin, handing her over to Shampoo when the Amazon opened the door.

~That fucking sucked!~ Jasper moaned loudly in English as Shampoo helped her over to the couch. ~I am never doing that again, never ever!~

Meanwhile, Ranma rejoined the two women as Sati finished with Hinako.

"There we are." She said, nodding as she stepped back. "Once you and Ranma have sex, it will help cement the change"

"Well them Saotome-san, should we begin out lessons?" Hinako asked as she turned to Ranma, letting the robe fall all the way to the ground while giving Ranma a coy look while sending out pheromones that quickly heated up Ranma's blood, making him give a sexy part growl, part rumbling purr as he advance toward his English teacher.

* * *

Author note: First off, let me apologize for taking nearly 4 years to get this chapter out. I don't have an good excuse other than I had a really bad case of writer's block for a long time and my life was really, really hectic for a while so writing wasn't on my mind. I was working at a place that I didn't enjoy anymore and it impacted my writing. But, I've gotten a new job in the last year and I've been working on and off on this and two other stories when I have the urge to write. And I was having a problem with a couple of parts of this chapter, I couldn't figure out just how I wanted to write those parts out.

I will not be giving up on this story and it will hopefully not take me as long to get the next chapter out. I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter please excuse any errors I didn't manage to catch.


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Chapter 18

"AAHH! I can't believe him!" Kodachi yelled as she shoved her door open then quickly slammed it close. She leaned against it, breathing deeply as she tried to rein in her anger, eyes closed. She *hated* her cousin Taeko with a burning passion usually reserved for her rivals for her Ranma-sama's love! "I swear, I will poison him one day and feed him to Mr. Turtle." She muttered as she finally calmed down a tiny bit.

She pushed away from the door, taking a moment to lock it then walked over to her bed, throwing herself on it. It wasn't very lady like but damn it, she was by herself in her room and she was allowed to act like a normal teenage girl sometimes. Kodachi balled her hands up into her covers as she remembered again what Taeko said to her downstairs.

The gymnast had just come back from her secret afterschool activity of going to different districts outside of Nermia and teaching little school girls Rhythmic Gymnastics at different dance schools. Just regular gymnastics, not the Martial Art's kind she was an expert at. Taeko Kuno, like he had been doing for the last month since he had shown up on their doorstep, was sitting in the living room with one of those vile tasting things he called a beer in one hand while he gazed at a lude magazine in the other. As Kodachi moved through her living room to head up to her room, the bastard had told her to get him another beer.

Kodachi of course refused, for one she wasn't his servant and she wasn't one to be ordered around. Taeko, of course, had to make the comment that as a woman, it was her job to do as he said unless she wanted to get slapped. He never got the chance, Kodachi had taking out a pouch of paralysis powder that she always carried with her and threw it into his face. Not her usual way of using the power, via her beloved black roses that she grew, but it worked in a pinch.

'What really pisses me off is that my brother does nothing to stand up for me' Kodachi thought, gripping her covers again before sighing and letting them go so she could sit up. She reached over and picked up a photo from her bedside table, gazing at it sadly. It was the last photo ever taken of her, Tatewaki and their mother Miyu before she was killed. Back then, Tatewaki had been a proper older brother, determine to protect his little sister from the horrors of the world.

The last time her brother had ever done so was, in a way, the day she lost the person her brother had been. When Miyu had been attacked in their home, Takewaki had shoved Kodachi in a closet to hide her from the person who had broke into their home before going to save their mother as Sasuke had been knocked unconscious and their father Kaitou had been away.

'Of course he was away, he was the one reasonable for the attack' Kodachi thought in anger. Her father had made her loose both her mother and brother that day, she suppose she was luckily her 'Uncle' Sasuke hadn't been taken as well. Not that she had any proof that her father was the one who called the hit on her mother but Kodachi *knew* it was him.

Her mother dead and Takewaki was driven a bit mad as he had witnessed the act. Kaitou had never allowed his son to get the therapy that he needed to help him overcome what had happen. Now Kodachi's brother was a perverted pig who's acted like he was stuck in feudal Japan. And Kodachi had to act like she was out of her mind as well for her protection. Not that she wasn't a *tiny* bit crazy but wouldn't everyone be surprised how much of it was an act.

Kodachi sighed as she put the photo back on her nightstand and got up off the bed. There was nothing she could do for Takewaki right now, their father was watching their every move to make sure they didn't touch what the man thought was *his* money. Kaitou was spending away as much of the Kuno fortune as possible and she was afraid by the time they were adults, it would all be gone. If only she could find the evidence needed to prove that her father was behind her mother's death. Once the bastard was in jail, she could drop the crazy act and finally commit Takewaki to a hospital where he could hopefully get help finally.

"but every detective I've hired and even Sasuke can't find proof" Kodachi muttered as she stripped out of her school uniform and dressed instead in a slightly form fitting black dress. She put the thought of her father out of her mind as she headed out of her room, taking the back hallways downstairs to her greenhouse/lab where she mixed her powders. She was going to make Taeko regret even thinking of touching her, a laugh bubbling up in her as she closed the door to the greenhouse.

"Oh HOHOHOHOHO!" inside the house, the servants shivered as they heard their mistress laugh while Taeko, still frozen by the paralysis powder in the living room, had a feeling of dread wash over him.

* * *

"Put on your glasses you idiot boy!" Cologne said, pogoing past Mousse as the teen started sweep the floor as the Amazon's closed up the Nekohanten for the night. Mousse scowled in what he thought was her direction, but was really a trashcan, but finally put on his thick glasses after a moment. Cologne rolled her eyes and continued back to the kitchen. "That boy is going to be a death of me one day"

"Why do you insist on keeping him around Grandmother" a middle age Chinese man asked as he looked up from washing dishes. "All he does it cause you headaches and irate my daughter" Cologne sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"He can be entertaining to watch as he fails" she said. "But if we don't watch him, Mousse will chase after Shampoo and Son-in-law and that could get him killed at this point"

"Have you told the other elder's about Shampoo's husband?" the man asked.

"No, I haven t Poe" Cologne confessed, looking over at her grandson. "Shampoo has managed to truly fall in love with Ranma, I'm afraid if the elder console decides that her claim on Ranma should be canceled, she might abandoned the village"

Poe frowned and put the dish he was cleaning back into the water, turning to face his grandmother.

"Do you really think Shampoo would?" He asked, reaching up to stroke his mustache between his fingers.

"Yes, you know she has always looked for a man that could truly defeat her in battle and could give her strong daughters. She's dreamed of that since hearing stories about her mother" Cologne said, giving Poe an amused look. "She wants a strong man like her father"

Poe chuckled, his wife and Shampoo's mother Perfume had been a prideful fighter and the best of her generation. Poe had loved her since they were young teens, he trained hard to be a worthy husband for her and challenged her to combat when he felt he was ready. The fight ended up destroying two huts but in the end, he had defeated Perfume. The shocked look on her face as she realized it had always been one of his fondest memories. The few years they had been married that been happy for the both of them, up until Perfume was killed by the Musk when their daughter was two.

"yes, Shampoo is just like Perfume" Poe agreed with a sigh. "I hope my daughter doesn't get her heart broken over this."

"I want to see her happy as well Poe" Cologne said. "I have thought long and hard about what was more important, her duties to the village and what would make her happy."

"What have you decided Grandmother" Poe asked. Cologne took out her pipe and lit it, slowly puffing on the sweet smelling tobacco inside as she closed her eyes.

"For now, I will not stand in her way of pursuing Ranma but I will also inform her that if he does not seem to grow closer to her, she must give up her claim" She said after a few minutes. "With son-in-law being what he is now, there will be no shame brought to Shampoo"

"And if the boy does pick Shampoo as his bride?" Poe asked again.

"Then... we shall do what we can to not repeat the mistakes others had taken in the past. Ranma is well on his way to being one of the best marital artist I have ever seen. With my training and Sati's, he'll surpass the whole village one day" Cologne said. "He could level the village if we made him think we're trying to control him in any way. Better to have him as a friend than an enemy."

* * *

Ukyo sighed as she leaned against the register counter, looking out over her empty restaurant with bored with blue eyes. It was an hour or so before the dinner rush which left her and Konatsu with nothing to really do. The place was cleaned up from the lunch rush and she could hear her employee puttering around in the back.

The last month had been a new experience with her Ranma-honey's adopted werewolf aunt and the loud mouth American on the scene. Despite the rocky start she had with Jasper when she was sure the other girl had been another one of Ranma's fianc es, she had come to like the gaijin. Jasper made life entertaining with her constant teasing and baiting of Akane which in turn brought Akane's wrath down on the American instead of Ranma most nights.

Jasper often stopped in her shop for a okonomiyaki for lunch, telling Ukyo about the training that Ranma was going through. What surprised her was a couple of times Ryoga had been sitting at the counter listening and didn't go rushing off the train to be better than Ranma. For some reason, the lost boy was avoiding getting into any sort of fight with Ranma.

Another thing the two girls talked about were bikes after Ukyo expressed interest in the one Jasper was currently renting while in Japan. Ukyo learned a lot about them in that time and even had a motorbike of her own now for delivers! It wasn't as high tech or as pricy as Jasper's, but she hoped Ranma would show the same interest he did to Jasper's.

Of course, Ukyo hadn't seen much of Ranma since his training began other than when she saw him at school.

'Still, he's been paying more attention to me now' Ukyo thought with a dreamy smile. Ranma ignored Akane whenever possible now, sitting either with her or, for some odd reason, with Nabiki on a couple of occasions when he wasn't with his friends. He, or sometimes she had even growled at her rival a few times! Growled! It made her wonder... was Ranma... like Sati?

She wasn't blind, Ukyo had seen the changes in Ranma since Sati showed up and then there was the training! Did Sati bite Ranma and turn him like in those werewolves movies? The brunette glanced out the window to the full moon, biting her lip. Ranma and Sati disappeared for the weekend for a 'training trip' and she couldn't help but wonder if that was a ruse so Ranma could transform like the seemingly young woman did. Of course, Ukyo didn't know she was half right for the reasons behind the trip.

*DING* Ukyo blinked as she was jerked out of her thoughts as the door opened, plastering a wide smile on her face as the first of the dinner rush walked in.

"Welcome to Ucchan's, what can I get you?"

* * *

"Uhgg... where the hell am I now?" Ryoga said with a sigh. Nothing looked familiar as he looked around and he of course had no idea where he was. All he wanted to do was get to his house, hoping maybe one of his parents might be there. At least he would get to see Checkers and how the puppies were doing.

The last month had weighed heavily on his mind. Ryoga, with a bit of thinking and a lot of eavesdropping had figured out Ranma's secret. And knowing what he did about wolves, at least wolf demons being a descendent from them even it was distantly now, Ryoga knew that it was not a good time to constantly challenge Ranma to a fight. He had been training, hoping to keep up with the other boy as Ranma got stronger, but if werewolves were anything like wolf demons, Ranma was too high strung to fight and might accidently kill him if he thought Ryoga was challenging him. He wanted to wait into Ranma got himself under complete control, he had heard what Sati said to Ranma about how he would be this first full moon!

Sati... Ryoga blushed as he thought about the woman. He didn't know what to think about her. He knew that she was some sort of immortal but she *looked* the same age as the rest of the younger members of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. He blushed heavily again as he remembered the tickle/wrestling match he and Ranma had with the woman and how his face had been pressed up against her breasts. He was sure the woman was flirting with him every time he was around and he didn't know what to think of that sort of attention.

Jasper was something else on the other hand, she was pretty but she had a habit of teasing him playfully but nothing beyond that. She seemed to do that with everyone. Akane didn't like her and Ryoga wasn't sure what to feel about that. Akane *hated* Jasper and *despised* Sati with a passion. She also seemed to hate and mistrust Ranma more and more every day. Ryoga should have felt happy about that, it would give him a better chance with the girl! But... he also liked Sati; the seemly young woman was not only kind but seemed to like him more than just a friend. Akane never seemed to see Ryoga more than that and there was the whole P-chan thing. If Akane ever found out that P-chan was him; well he was sure she would try to kill him.

Ryoga stopped and looked around, it was alright night time and it was useless to keep wandering. There! There was a park he could camp in. He headed over to the park and once in the tree line, set up his camp for the night. Soon he was sitting by the camp fire he made, watching the fish he was frying carefully, a bowl of rice already sitting next to him to eat with the fish. It wasn't much but he was use to the life style and he was having a better night than Akane was.

* * *

Akane grind her teeth in anger as she huddled up in the tree, looking down at the pack of wolves under. She was angry at the moment, so very angry. She was angry at the pervert Ranma, at his idiot father Genma who had been the one to bring her out here, and at the hussy werewolf Sati.

Genma had not one in the last two days trained her at all, all they seemed to be doing was wondering around. That was until they ran across the wolf pack. Akane had punched a few away but they had ended up surrounding her, too many to fight off and forcing her to hide up in the tree. Genma of course had long since ran off as soon at the wolves started attacking.

'Baka panda' Akane thought to herself.

Speaking of the panda, Genma sat in his own tree out of site, watching as the wolf pack surrounded the tree Akane was in. He frowned, the spice he had been feeding Akane for the last two days was being wasted on the animals. And on top of that, they looked like they wanted to eat the girl, not mate with her.

'Blast, this isn't going like I planed' He through to himself with a frown. They hadn't found any traces of his whelp of a son yet, he *needed* the boy to marry Akane before any control he had left over Ranma was completely gone. That was why he got the spices, with Ranma turning back into a werewolf, the spices were to drive the boy into a lust and mate with Akane to knock her up. Once she was with child, he and Tendo could force the two to finally marry.

Too bad Genma's plan never would have worked, the spices he managed to get were *not* for making Akane smell like a bitch in heat. The spices made any human who consumed them smell good enough to eat and even made the flesh taste better. This affected not only most kinds of werewolves, but wolf demons and of course normal everyday wolves. It was a good thing Akane was safe up in her tree, otherwise she would have been dinner.

Let s not forget the second reason why the spices would have never worked, Ranma wasn't producing working sperm just yet, in lycan terms he wasn't ready and was only shooting blanks.

It would be a long night for both Akane and Genma, the wolves not leaving until the spices in Akane's system faded.

* * *

Kasumi sighed as she put up the last of the dishes; it was so quite around the house with everyone but herself and her father gone. She didn't approve of Uncle Saotome taking Akane on a 'training trip didn't really approve of anything that man did.

"Father, are you sure Akane-chan will be alright with Uncle Saotome?" Kasumi asked as she entered the dining room, pouring more tea into Soun's cup.

"Akane will be fine Kasumi" Soun said as he turned another page of his newspaper. "Genma wouldn't do anything to hurt my little girl" Kasumi wasn't sure of that, the man did plenty to hurt his own child and Auntie Saotome. She sighed softly, Nodoka had been by again today, hoping to see Ranma or Genma. If that not them, she was hoping to see 'Ranko, to spend time with her and make her into a 'proper lady'. It was said that Nodoka had no idea that 'Ranko' was Ranma, and it was all thanks to that stupid promise. She saw how heartbroken Ranma was when he had to hide himself from his own mother.

Kasumi shook her head, she was starting to think Nabiki was right, things were starting to get out of hand with her father turning a blind eye to Genma's actions. Akane wasn't in the clear either; the girl was getting more and more hostile toward Ranma every day. It broke her heart that Akane managed to break her promise to never strike anyone in anger within a day.

'How would mother handle all of this?' Kasumi wondered as she picked up her tea and sipped it slowly.

* * *

"Well them Saotome-san, should we begin out lessons?" Hinako asked as she turned to Ranma, letting the robe fall all the way to the ground while giving Ranma a coy look while sending out pheromones that quickly heated up Ranma's blood, making him give a sexy part growl, part rumbling purr as he advanced toward his English teacher.

Ranma started to circle his teacher slowly, pressing his nose against her skin and breathing in the pheromones deeply. Hinako tilted her head back, submitting to the teenage werewolf-tiger. Ranma was in better control than he was the night before with Shampoo, staying in his hybrid form for most of the day had helped him learn control but he was still a teenage with newly awakened hormones.

- Lemon removed, link to full chapter on my profile -

"Very good Mr. Saotome, I think that concludes our lessons for tonight" Hinako said in a tired tone, standing up. Her legs were shaky as she stumbled toward the cabin.

* * *

"Have fun?" Sati asked as she looked up from the book she was reading when the door opened.

"hmm" Hinako smiled and nodded lazily, stretching her arms above her head with a yawn, completely disregarding that she was nude. "He needs more practice but he wasn't bad. But I believe this will be a onetime thing, after all I can't show favoritism to my students"

"I understand" Sati said with a sage nod. "You'll sleep a long while as your body adjusts to its new permanent state."

"Yes, thank you for this chance" Hinako said softly. Sati smiled and waved the other woman to bed.

* * *

Hinako yawned as she stumbled into the room she was sharing with Sati. With each step she felt more and more tired, hoping it was all part of the process to put her body to rights. The young woman collapsed on her bed with a groan, out like a light without even climbing under the covers.

* * *

Jasper's topaz colored eyes followed Hinako out of the over the back of the couch then turned to Sati after the human was gone.

~Sati, I've done a lot for you in the past month, but I am *never* doing something like that again~ the teenage werewolf said, grabbing the bottle of sake she found in the cabinet the night before and poured a small cup before knocking it back. ~I've never felt so weak~

~Don't worry cub~ Sati said with a chuckle. ~I shouldn't think we will have to anything like that again. Just sleep it off and I assure you that you'll feel better come morning.~ the elder wolf stood up and walked over to the window, glancing outside.

~Yeah yeah~ Jasper muttered as she took another cup of sake then put the bottle and cup to the side. She stretched and yawned, turning onto her side, her bushy tail coming up to cover her pants less legs.

~I'm impressed, Ranma is still awake and looks like he's still has energy~ Sati said to herself softly. ~Well, we'll have to burn that energy off~ she said with a grin.

* * *

Ranma slid into the waters of the lake, shivering as her form changed into female. She rubbed at her fur, washing off the sweat and other bodily fluids from the actives she just had with her teacher.

"I think you'll need this cub" Sati said behind her a few minutes later. Ranma turned and made a happy whining noise as she saw the steaming kettle in the others hand.

"Thanks Auntie" She said happily as she climbed out of the water, shaking the water from her red and black fur then bounded over to Sati. Sati chuckled in amusement, handing the kettle over to Ranma who happily poured the water over herself, the red fur darkening to gray as he gained over a foot in height. "Now what? Yesterday I fell asleep after sleeping with Shampoo"

"It was your first time transforming, which used up a lot of your energy as you weren't use to it. I'm honestly impressed you re up now; I would have thought it would be tomorrow before you adjusted this much." Sati said. "But you've always been good at adjusting. So instead, we're going to do something you might find fun. We're going hunting."

"Hunting... I thought all that meat you brought was so I wouldn't hunt" Ranma said, tilting his head to the side.

"I wasn't sure if you would be ready to hunt, it's in your instincts to hunt and it could save your life one day" Sati said. "So the meat was to satisfy that hunger. But I now think you can hunt so change into your full form and we'll see if we can find a couple of sika deers"

Ranma concentrated on changing, shifting and turning into a wolf/tiger hybrid that was almost as large as a Clydesdale. Sati followed his exampled and shifted to her own darkb gray wolf form, smaller than her adopted cub but still looked strong enough to takethe pup down if needed. She lifted her head and sniffed the air until she caught a scent, giving a small 'woof' to Ranma then running off toward the dense woods with Ranma on her paws.

Ranma knew this much, running like this was a rush!

* * *

Author note: Yes, a update that didn't take months to get out, even I'm shocked.

So in the manga, there was an extra very minor character who was Shampoo's father who was also in one of the games I believe. The character was never named and it was never made clear if he is Cologne grandon or grandson-in-law. I honestly forgot all about him until I came across a mention of him in a fanfic I was reading and I decided to include him. As he's nameless, I gave him a general name. I almost named him Powder but decided that Poe was a better way to go.

And I thought it would be nice to get other characters thoughts on what was going on.


	20. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2, of course, belong to Rumiko Takahashi (and lots of others). Sati Li, and any other strays that may appear, belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

A Werewolf in Nerima

By: USA Tiger

Chapter 9

Ranma followed Sati as the older werewolf slowly slinked low the ground, her eyes glued on sika deer herd not far from them. They were currently downwind from the herd, somehow the deer didn't notice two very large animals stalking them. Ranma licked his chops as he caught another whiff of the prey, he wanted to jump out at them now!

Ranma's tail lashed, his claws dug into the ground and a very low rumble escaped them. Sati turned and gave a warning growl that Ranma didn't seem to hear as he burst out of their hiding spot and running full tilt for the nearest deer. The deers heads popped up, looking around franticly for the danger they could sense, Sati-wolf seemed to sigh and shake her head.

'Kids' she thought then took off after Ranma. Ranma meanwhile was hot on the deer's heels, so close he could almost sink his fangs into its rump. As he leapt at the deer to take it down, his eyes widen as the animal turned left at the last second and he was unable to stop his momentum, crashing to the ground and rolling several feet until he finally came to a stop inside of a bush. Sati trotted up, her mouth open and tongue hanging out, seeming to laugh at the situation that Ranma managed to get himself into. The younger Lycan pulled himself from the bush, twigs and leaves sticking to his fur, looking up at his mentor with a scowl.

Sati's from quickly shifted into her halfway hybrid form, the amused laughing grin never leaving.

"Maybe now you'll listen to me rather than jump off on your own" She said, watching as Ranma followed her example and shifted as well. He grumbled as he picked the twigs off of himself.

"I almost had it" He said, looking down at his smaller 'auntie'. As humans, they were nearly the same size but while Ranma shot up a couple of feet and gained more bulk, Sati barely grew at all. Of course, Sati was an unusual case in that regard.

"Well would you like to try again Cub?" Sati said, crossing her arms over her furry breasts. "And this time, pay attention and don't go off gun-ho" She waited until Ranma agreed then turned back into her full wolf form, leading the way to find the herd again.

This time when they found the suki deer, Ranma waited until Sati lead the charge, following her example and by the end of the hunt had taken down his first ever kill.

* * *

The next morning, Nabiki yawned as she climbed down the stairs, rubbing her eyes as she headed straight for the kitchen and to the coffee maker that was making fresh much needed wake-up nectar. The middle Tendo daughter blindly reached up into the cabinet and got a coffee mug down, pouring herself a helping of coffee and sighing happily as she slowly sipped to wake up.

A few minutes later the brunette was finally awake enough to think, looking blindly out the window as her thoughts wandered.

Tonight was her turn to sleep with Ranma, while the younger teen was high on moonbeams. Nabiki wasn't sure what she should be feeling. Oh, don't get her wrong, while she had fun teasing Ranma by wearing skimpy shorts and tight shirts around the house she was really nervous about having sex for the first time. She had seen Ranma naked both as a human and as a werewolf... tiger... whatever and he was huge in that form. Shampoo had given the impression that the sex was great, Nabiki just hoped that the purple hair girl was correct.

Nabiki turned her mind from the activities to come and placed it on what would happen once they left to go back home. There was no way Ranma could or would marry Akane now, the abuse her little sister heaped on her fiance pushed Ranma further and further away from the girl.

And Nabiki *knew* Ranma *let* Akane hit him/her, while she had been reminded yesterday by Jasper that Akane was in fact a decent martial artist when up against a normal fighter, Ranma was light-years ahead of the girl in the art. Ranma was just to nice and didn't want to hit Akane back but Nabiki could see that Ranma was very quickly reaching his breaking point with Akane. If her little sis wasn't careful, Ranma was going to tear her a new one.

"Maybe that is all Akane needs to rip her from this little fantasy she has that she's better than Ranma" Nabiki muttered to herself as she sipped on her coffee again. "Just for him to give her a little 'love tap' to show her that she's nowhere near as good" It would be amusing to see the look on Akane's face if and when Ranma finally put her in her place.

What Nabiki said the day before was true; Akane had plans on waiting until she was an adult age to tell their daddy to stuff it about the engagement. Soun could try to force it on her or Kasumi, he only cared that one of his daughters married Ranma. It was Genma who wanted Ranma to marry Akane out of the three Tendo daughters. Kasumi might marry Ranma, but then again she had been starting to date that demon from the club. Nabiki's lips quirked, she was happy to see Kasumi dating finally. Oh, she thought it would be Doctor Tofu who would snag the older girl but he couldn't seem to get his head around his problem and ask Kasumi out.

Now he was too late and Kasumi had someone else vying for her attention, Nabiki just hoped that the demon guy didn't hurt her big sis.

Still, back to Akane, another problem was Ranma's new status as a werewolf/tiger. If Akane acted like she did with Sati, who was a confirmed werewolf, there was no way Akane would accept Ranma as he was. She might even try to arrange for Ranma to be taken out but calling the local demon hunters.

"So where does that leave us" Nabiki said as she put her mud into the sink and leaned against the counter. "Kasumi has her demon beau and Akane won't marry him. Not that they would last in a marriage if they did, Akane and Ranma would kill each other. So that leaves me... I'm not sure if I want to jump back on that band wagon so soon" well, she had time to figure something out. Maybe Ranma would just pick Shampoo or Ukyo in the end... part of her kinda hoped he didn't...

"baahhh, no time to think about that now" Nabiki said, walking into the living room. She stopped by the couch and looked down amused at Jasper who was laying curled on her side with a pillow over her wolfen head to block out the sunlight from the window. The American was just in a tank top and panties, giving Nabiki a good view of the other's form. The tank top and ridden up during the night to bunch under the werewolf's breasts and long furry legs were stretched out, clawed feet hanging over the edge.

Nabiki's eyebrow rose as she looked at the fur on Jasper's legs, leaning over the back of the couch and running her fingers through the thick black fun.

"What are you fondling my leg?" Jasper asked sleepily, the pillow half sitting on her head as she looked at the other girl.

"Why do you have spots?" Nabiki asked in return. Jasper blinked sleepily at her then yawned widely, her lips pulled back to expose sharp teeth while her tongue slipped out and curled at the end.

"Huh?" The werewolf managed to ask at the end of her yawn.

"Spots. You have spots on your leg" Nabiki repeated, pointing at the area she had been looking at.

"Oh those" Jasper said as her mind woke up a bit more. "I'm part wereleopard"

"Excuse me?" Nabiki asked, blinking. "Wereleopard?"

"Yeah... my gran on my dad's side is half were-black leopard. My dad and uncle are one-fourth so I'm less than that. I'm more wolf that cat, but there is enough to make my fur black with faint spots on my thighs, lower back and shoulders" Jasper explained. "You didn't think Ranma was the only one who's a hybrid did you?"

"No, I remember Sati mentioning that there are others" Nabiki said as she folded her arms on the back of the couch. "But you didn't mention you are one too when it came up."

"I didn't see a reason to bring it up. Like I said, I'm more wolf than cat. Just my fur color is affected." Jasper said as she sat up. "Look, it doesn't really matter. I've got a bunch of different were genes in me but I'm more wolf than any other animal."

"Alright calm down" Nabiki said, holding up up her hands. "I didn't mean to sound insulting. I wonder how last night went" she said, changing the subject.

"The teach came in right after she was fucked then Sati said something about taking Ranma hunting so I don't know when they came back." Jasper said as she stood up, wobbling a bit on her feet then walking over to the kitchen to find her some meat.

"Hmm" Nabiki turned and headed up the stairs to see if the other two lycans were sleeping in their beds. She cracked over the door to Ranma's room, smirking as she saw Ranma stretched out on his back in human from wearing his usual boxer shorts and muscle shirt. She took this time to admire Ranma's form once again; he was a very fine looking boy just like he was a good looking girl when in his other from.

"Oohh, naughty naught money girl" Shampoo whispered in her ear, making Nabiki jump.

"Like you wouldn't be doing the same" Nabiki said, looking over her should at the smaller girl.

"Shampoo not look" Shampoo said with a shake of her head. "Shampoo be in bed with Ranma. Much much better place to be" Nabiki laughed and shut the door, knowing it was true since the Tendo's caught Shampoo sleeping next to Ranma a few times after the first time Ranma defeated Shampoo as a boy.

* * *

Akane growled as she stomped her way out of the woods. After spending all night up a tree keep away from a pack of wolves and not getting any help from Genma who was not training her at all, she was going home.

"Akane, where do you think you re going girl?" Genma asked as he jumped down in front of the bluenette.

"I'm leaving. I'm sick of walking around in these woods and you haven t done any training at all." Akane said, looking up at the balding man. "I just spent all night looking like a bunch of wolves next meal, I've had enough!"

"I guess Ranma was right about you" Genma said, crossing his arms over his chest and closeing his eyes as if he was disappointed with her. "He always complaining that you re a weak little girl. You couldn't even take care of a couple of wolves"

A tick started on Akane's head as she clenched her fist tightly in front her her, brown eyes closed in anger.

"Panda-no-baka!" She screamed as she pulled her mallet out of hammer-space and swung it at Genma. It hit the man square under the chin and launched him into the air flying. "Call me weak will you. I'll show you Ranma" She said as she put her mallet back and started walking again.

*splash!* "Gwolf?" Akane managed to knock Genma into a nearby river, a new personal best for her, the cursed man's glasses hanging off of one ear. 'Now how am I going to get Ranma and Akane to sleep together now if that whelp of a girl leaves?' he thought to himself as he climbed out of the river. The wolves chasing and surrounding Akane last night had been unexpected and Genma was sure if they wanted to *eat* Akane or *mate* with her. Either way the herds seemed to work.

'Maybe I should wait until the boy comes home from his training trip' Genma considered as he walked down the path to reach the highway. 'At this point the whelp is a werewolf so the herbs will work on him for sure'

* * *

Ranma yawned as he headed downstairs to the kitchen. Jasper and Nabiki were fighting over the last pancake; Nabiki was winning by the way, while Shampoo watched the two other girls amused. Sati was at the stove cook and Ranma's stomach rumbled as he smelt the food she was making.

"Good morning cub" Sati said over her shoulder. Ranma waved a hand and sat down, watching as Nabiki triumphed and got her pancake.

"Ha!" Nabiki said as she poured syrup over her prize. "Oh Sati, you have got to teach Kasumi-neechan how to cook these"

"I don't think the rest of your family loves pancakes as much as you do" Sati said with a chuckle as she placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Ranma.

"Just don't teach Akane how to make them" Ranma said as he happily crunched into a bacon peice. "Who knows what it'll turn into."

"I've never seen cooking like her's" Jasper agreed. "I'm kinda scared at how she does it. I've heard of people who cook so bad they burn water but shesh!"

"Akane's always had that problem" Nabiki said. "I've never figured how she turns a harmless dish into a creature of horror. You know one of her 'creations' is a pet for the girl locker room"

"What? Why would they keep that thing as a pet?" Ranma asked.

"Cause of Haoppsai. He got in the girls locker room during shower time and the thing, they call it 'Fluffy', drove him off" Nabiki explained. "So they kept it around, the girls take turns feeding it every day. Of course my little sister doesn't know about Fluffy, she'd be insulted if she knew about it"

"huh..." Ranma said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Does she ever taste her own cooking? She's gotta know she's bad at it" Jasper asked.

"Violent girl make Ranma eat bad bad cooking" Shampoo said. "Make husband sick"

"Yeah, I've been confronted by her cooking before" Jasper said, her snout wrinkling in distaste. "I bet it taste worse than it smelt"

"Ooohhh, you've a super nose now Ranma-baby" Nabiki realized. "You re really going have to stay away from Akane's cook."

"Ick" Ranma's face screwed up as he thought about it and saw that Nabiki was right.

"Ranma no worry, Shampoo make sure husband fed good good food" Shampoo said, smiling brightly.

* * *

Nabiki decided she wanted to explore the woods around the cabin and snagged Ranma to be her guide/bodyguard.

"So, I heard you went hunting?" Nabiki asked, her arms crossed behind her head as she walked beside Ranma. Her chest was puffed out a bit, her shirt a bit tight to hug her figure.

"Ye-yeah" Ranma said, scratching the side of his nose as he tried not to stare at Nabiki's chest. Nabiki smirked when she noticed; she loved teasing the younger boy. "A little, I took down a nice size buck"

"Hmm" Nabiki lowered her arms from the back of her head and clasped them behind her back. "So Ranma-baby, I've been thinking" she said, making Ranma look at her warily. For him it was never a good thing when the words 'I've been thinking' came out of Nabiki's mouth.

"About what?" He asked he asked, wondering if he should just run back to the cabin now so he could save a few bucks.

"I think we should have Daddy switch the engagement to me" Nabiki said, turning so she could look Ranma in the eye. Ranma snorted softly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh yeah, cause that worked out so well the last time" Ranma said with a shake of his head. "You used me to mess with Akane, and when I thought you might really like me like that..." Ranma sighed and fisted one hand into his hair.

"Ok... I deserve that" Nabiki said, looking down. "I did abuse you and Akane with that stunt. But I thought if I pushed Akane I could get her to realize that she liked you because at the time I thought she did. And maybe she really did like you somewhat then. But now... anything that might have been going for you two is long gone." (1)

"Yeah, that's been pretty clear" Ranma muttered as he leaned back against a tree.

"When Akane finds out that you're what you are, and it will come out because it's you" Nabiki said, looking up at Ranma again, hands on her hips. "She is going to go ballistic. And you are quite close to unleashing your own anger on her if she keeps pushing your buttons. I know you haven't got a huge reason to trust me; I've done some pretty awful things to you and used you as a cash cow several times. And... I'm sorry" She looked down again slightly.

"Aww, you re not gonna cry are you?" Ranma said, slightly panicked, he and Nabiki had been getting along better in the last month than they ever had. "Look, we've had a pretty rocky past but you've been a great help lately!"

"Heh, thanks Ranma" Nabiki said, her lips quirking up into a slight smile. "Look Ranma-baby, maybe we don't really have to get married in the end, but until we decide what to do with all that, it'll be a lot easier for you just to be engaged to me. I know what you are and it doesn't bother me at all." Nabiki said. "Your girl form doesn't even bother me, you re pretty cute that way. I'll even step back and let you take Shampoo and Ukyo or any other girl on a date as long as you take me out too. But at least this way, Daddy will be off of you and Akane's backs and you two can just ignore each other"

Ranma groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Shampoo, she's gonna try to kill you if your engaged to me"

"No, I don't think she will" Nabiki said with a shake of her head. "Me and her... we've sorta come to an understanding. Look, let s just try it awhile, for real this time, and see how things go. I won't get jealous if you pay attention to other girls and I'll even cut back on selling those pictures of your girl from"

Ranma looked at her warily again, this deal sounded too good to be true but on the other hand she was right. Akane would never accept Ranma as a Lycan, to the bluenette, it would just be another thing that made him a freak to her.

"Alright, but no tricks this time" The pig-tailed boy finally said, pointing at finger at Nabiki. Nabiki held up both of her hands in front of her then made an 'X' motion over her chest.

"Cross my heart Ranma-baby"

* * *

The pair returned to the cabin some time later, coming across a somewhat unusal site. Jasper and Shampoo were sitting in front of the TV, each with a game controller in their hands, playing a fighting game.

"Aiyah! No fair!" Shampoo yelled, shouldering Jasper in the side as the werewolf crowed in triumph as she won. They were playing a Darkstalkers game; Shampoo was playing Jon Talbin the werewolf while Jasper played the catwoman Feilca. Nabiki thought the characters would have been reversed. "Shampoo demand rematch!"

"I've kicked your butt 10 times already" Jasper said laughing. "You sure you want another beat down?"

"Wait... you beat Shampoo in a battle and she hasn't given you the kiss of death?" Ranma asked.

"Just in the game and I wouldn't let her play unless she promised not to kill me" Jasper said as she started up another game.

"Grrr, Shampoo beat crazy wolf girl this time" Shampoo growled, selecting the character Lilith this time.

"What the hell are you two playing?" Nabiki asked as she sat down and picked up the games box. "Darkstalkers? Hey, I've seen this game in the arcades"

"What is it?" Ranma asked. Jasper paused the game and turned around to look at Ranma.

"What do you mean 'what is it'?" Jasper said. "It's a video game"

"Video game... oh, those things that Daisuki and Hiroshi talk about sometimes" Ranma said, remembering where he heard the word before.

"Wait a minute... Are you saying you don't know what a video game is?" Jasper asked, pointing at Ranma. Nabiki snorted and tossed the box back onto the floor.

"Doesn't surprise me, Uncle Saotome doesn't really let Ranma experience something that isn't about fighting" Nabiki said.

"But there are games that are all about fighting" Jasper said, pointing at the TV. "That's what Darkstalkers is, it's a fighting game."

"They do?" Ranma said, leaning closer to the TV. "hmmm... So is there a martial arts video game school or something?"

"What? No!" Jasper said, looking at Ranma like he was crazy. "Why do you guys always jump right to some sort of martial arts thing?"

"Well, Ranma has had to learn Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, Martial Arts Figure Skating, Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, Martial Arts Dining and Martial Arts Cheerleading" Nabiki said, counting off the different styles on her fingers. Jasper sweat dropped as they were named off.

"You have got to be kidding" Jasper said. "All of those sound so stupid!"

"Oh, and let s not forget the style of Martial Arts Takeout" Nabiki added. "Well, Ranma didn't learn that one but one of the girls Genma engaged him to uses it." Jasper groaned and slapped her face.

"You people are fucking crazy" She muttered then turned back to Ranma. "Dude, all fighting game are is games where you mash the buttons on the controllers to make the character on the screen to move and fight. The characters in the game fight, not you"

"Oh" Ranma said, his interest no longer peaked. Jasper rolled her eyes and turned back to her and Shampoo's match.

"Shampoo no know why husband no like, is fun!" Shampoo said as the game started up again. "Shampoo love video games, Shampoo big big fan of Final Fantasy" (2)

"Who would have thought, the Amazon is a closet geek" Nabiki teased playfully with a smirk. The two teen girls on the floor ignored her as they got back into their game. At first Ranma watched the game bored, wondering what the heck was so enjoyable about something like this. But the more he watched, the more his attention was drawn in.

Not by the game itself, he still had no desire to start playing. It was the attacks the characters were using on the screen. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, as Shampoo's character executed another attack.

"So... is there a lot of games like this?" He asked.

"Hmm, the fighting genre is pretty popular" Jasper said as she defeated Shampoo's character with hers. "You got this series, Tekken, Mortal Combat, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, Guilty Gear, all sorts."

"And they all got these sort of moves?" Ranma asked, pointing at the screen.

"Well each character from each series has their own move sets." Jasper said, turning around to look at Ranma again. "So yeah, all kind of different moves" Ranma leaned back, a thoughtful look on his face.

* * *

Sati came down from upstairs after checking on how Hinako was doing, the werewolf was satisfied that the mortal's chi was flowing normally now and her body seemed to be adjusting to staying in adult form. She smirked slightly to herself, anything to counter what that cheeky pervert Happosai had done. Sati had no idea what the man was thinking when he did what he did to Hinako as a child, perhaps he really had been trying to help her, but the long run damage wouldn't have been worth it when Hinako reached old age.

The werewolf reached the ground floor and heading into the kitchen, stopping to watch the group of teens in front of the TV curious. Ranma was sitting between Jasper and Shampoo, having them explain and show him different moves on a fighting game. Darkstalkers had been exchanged for Streetfighter sometime ago and Sati chuckled as she guessed that her adopted cub wanted to somehow use the fighting moves himself.

'Always the fighter' She thought with amusement. Nabiki was only half watching the other three teens, reading an accounting magazine she had brought with her. Sati decided to leave Ranma and the girls to their games, who knows, Ranma might actually learn something.

* * *

"Taidaima!" Akane called as she pushed open the door.

"Okaeri Nasai Akane-chan" Kasumi said, smiling as she greeted her youngest sister. "How was your training trip with Uncle Saotome?"

"Ano... it was horrible Kasumi-neesan" Akane groaned as she went into the kitchen, dropping her traveling pack on the floor. "I spent all night up a tree surrounded by wolves"

"oh my!" Kasumi said, holding a hand up to her mouth. "Didn't Uncle Saotome do anything?"

"Iie, that fat bastard just ran away like a coward" Akane growled, reaching into the fridge to get her something to eat, she was starving. "He didn't teach me a thing, just made me walk around in a forest"

"Teh, baka panda" Kasumi muttered under her breath, she knew Genma taking Akane on a training trip was a bad idea.

"Did you say something nee-san?" Akane asked as she shut the fridge door.

"oh nothing Akane-chan." Kasumi said, plastering her usual pleasant smile on her face again. "Why don't you go have a soak in the furo, it will make you feel better. I'll make your favorite dinner tonight"

"Oh thank you Kasumi!" Akane said with a smile, leaving the kitchen to go get her that bath. (3)

The smile dropped from Kasumi's face one Akane had left, she was very disappointed to find out what happen. Why would Mr. Saotome drag Akane out into the woods with a promise to train her, after he said time and time again he believed that girls were weak, then do nothing? Kasumi sighed and shook her head, turning to start making Akane's favorite dishes for dinner. She never understood why her father was friends with that man or why Soun was so blind to what Genma did.

* * *

The sun set the cabin and time drew closer for Ranma to transform once again. Nabiki was a bundle of nerves and wondered how Shampoo managed it.

"Money girl need calm down" Shampoo said. "Money girl have good good time with Ranma. Nothing to worry about."

"I've never had sex before Shampoo, just some fun with a few toys" Nabiki said.

"Shampoo not have sex before either but no stop Shampoo" The purple hair girl said. "Just take deep breaths, relax and Nabiki have run ride"

Nabiki closed her eyes and took several calming breaths. Shampoo was right, she agreed to this madness and she might as well enjoy herself. Shampoo seemed to have fun the first night.

"Alright" Nabiki said as she open her eyes and stood up. "You think I could get away with wearing a teddie?" Shampoo giggled as the confidant Nabiki was back and already planning how to spend her evening with Ranma.

Outside Ranma was already in hybrid from, running around and trying to work off some of the pent up energy he hand. His instincts were close to the skin, making him want to run and hunt.

"Just a few more minutes cub" Sati said, watching the moon as it started to climb over the hroizen. Nabiki walked outside a minute later, chuckling as Ranma turned his attention to her and the see through teddie she was wearing.

"Well, like what you see Ranma-baby?" Nabiki asked, striking a pose for the Lycan. In the background, Jasper wolf whistled while Shampoo wondered where she could get one of those teddies as well, her husband sure seemed to like it. Ranma gave a deep purring groan, taking a step toward Nabiki. He stopped, his ears twitching and tilting his head back and sniffing the air before growling and turning toward the tree line.

Sati blinked and sniffed the air as well, groaning.

"Oh no" She said, getting up from where she was reclining in a lounge chair. "Bad timing cub"

Something stumbled out of the tree line, a lost looking Ryoga looking down at a map in his hands.

"Where the hell am I?" He muttered to himself. He looked up with wide eyes as Ranma roared out a challenged and leapt at him. "Crap!" Ryoga dropped his map and whipped out his umbrella, opening it time to save him from Ranma's claws. Ryoga was knocked back several feet, cursing as he closed the umbrella and blocking Ranma's blows as the other teen strike out at him. Ranma was mindlessly caught in his instincts, attacking Ryoga with claws and fangs.

"Ryoga!" Nabiki yelled in shock. "Ranma!"  
~Holy shit!? What is he doing here!?~ Jasper yelped in English.  
"Aiyah! Pig boy going to get killed!" Shampoo said, reading to leap in and help. Sati grabbed Shampoo by the arm.

"No, you will get yourself killed cub." Sati said. "Ranma sees Ryoga as an invader of his territory, he's still too new to his new instincts and now they are controlling him."

"This was what you were worried about before" Nabiki said while Sati nodded, watching as Ryoga was cornered back against a tree. A swipe of Ranma's claws knocked the umbrella out of Ryoga's hands. Ryoga cursed and brought his arms up to block the next blow, thanking his Bakusai Tenkentsu training that allowed him to take the blow as Ranma knocked him back through the tree. Sati cursed under her breath, getting ready to intervene and stop the fight as Ranma would never forgive himself if he killed the other boy.

Ryoga gulped as Ranma pounced on top of him, the Lycan teen's lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl. Ryoga didn't want to do this but didn't have a choice at the moment.

Ryoga closed his eyes and made a very canine-like whining noise while leaning his head back so his neck was exposed to Ranma. Sati stopped short, watching the interaction as Ranma pressed his nose to Ryoga's neck, sniffing deeply then lightly bit at the lost boy's skin before pulling back. The wild light seemed to go out of Ranma's blue eyes as the wild part of himself was satisfied with Ryoga's submission, leaving Ranma to look down in shock at Ryoga.

"Ryoga? What the hell?" Ranma asked as he got up off of the boy.

"Ranma, I have never been so happy to see you back to normal" Ryoga said in a shaky tone, taking Ranma's hand to help him off the ground.

"you are very lucky that worked Ryoga" Sati scolded as she approached the boys.

"What just happen?" Ranma asked. "I felt like I was ready to tear his throat out"

"You almost did." Sati said, motioning for the boys to follow her. "Your instincts are up thanks to the full moon and an outsider male invaded, you weren't ready for them to flare up and take you over. You was very lucky that Ryoga had an idea what to do."

"How did you know to do that Ryoga?" Ranma asked curious as they rejoined in the others. Ryoga glanced over at the girls and irked as he saw what Nabiki was wearing. He turned his back and tilted his head back, pinching his nose as he tried to stop his nose bleed.

"Geez Nabiki, are you trying to kill me?!" Ryoga said.

"This is for Ranma" Nabiki said, crossing her arms over her chest. Ryoga whined and decided to focus on Ranma instead.

"My great grandfather is half wolf demon, he taught me what to do if I ever came across a full wolf demon in the wild." Ryoga explained. "I hoped it would work on you too" (4)

"It's a good thing it did, now Ranma sees you as part of the pack as his beta" Sati said. "So I would recommend not fighting him during the full moons for now on. Nabiki maybe you should take Ranma and calm him down some"

"Alright, come on Ranma-baby" Nabiki said, bringing Ranma's back attention back to her and her scantily clad body. "Let s go play hmm?" Ranma growled playfully, picking up Nabiki and taking her into the woods and away from the other male in his pack.

"Alright Ryoga, let s get you in and cleaned up." Sati said, taking Ryoga's hand and taking him into the cabin.

* * *

Author note: (1) This is from the episode 'Nabiki, Ranma's New Fiancee!' I couldn't find a summary of what happen in the manga so I went with the anima version.

(2) Yes, Shampoo is a closet gamer :p

(3) See, I can be nice to Akane.

(4) It's a fan theory that Ryoga is part demon, one I've always believed in. He also shares a resemblance with the Inuyasha character Koga who is a wolf demon. I'm not saying he is Koga descendant but Ryoga's demon blood could be wolf.

Also I'm searching for a beta for this and my other stories if anyone wants to volunteer.


End file.
